[As a vegetarian, this story from the Midwest Messenger wasn’t an easy read, but it describes an interesting and valuable new application of presence-evoking technologies in the meat processing industry. This is an abridged version of the original story; see that version for more details and three more images. –Matthew] [Image: Konrad Ahlin, right, demonstrates how to use the controller and virtual reality headset at the Heartland for Robotics Conference in October 2025. Credit: Photo by Julia McQuillan] Avatar meat processors? Virtual reality, automation future of meat industry By Kristen SindelarMarch 6, 2026 Automation has become a normal part of…

[In this link-filled story from Monash Lens, a doctoral candidate at Monash University in Australia explores some of the serious dangers created by increasingly convincing and easy-to-create sexualized deepfake videos and romantic interactions with chatbots. The story includes some of the author’s findings from her own research interviews with young people on the topic. See the original version of this story for a second image, a video, and links to a related story and two podcast episodes. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Image: E+/Getty Images] From deepfakes to chatbots: How AI is reinforcing sexual entitlement, fuelling abuse By Ruby Sciberras, PhD Candidate,…

[This story from EdTech Magazine describes how people at four different universities are using presence-evoking technologies to teach their students essential soft skills including interpersonal communication, collaboration and adaptability. See the original version of the story for a second image and graphical features. –Matthew] How VR and AI Improve Soft Skills Development Higher education institutions are turning to training technologies to bridge soft-skills gaps among students. By Alexander Slagg, a freelance writer specializing in technology and education. He is an ongoing contributor to the CDW family of magazinesFebruary 20, 2026 Are today’s college graduates prepared for the demands of the…

[The Humane Handling Institute at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls is using an augmented reality system that simulates the visual perception of different animals. The goals are to build empathy among students and livestock handlers and ultimately “create low-stress environments for livestock, which is better for the animals and makes operations [anywhere livestock are handled] run more smoothly.” –Matthew] [Image: UW-River Falls student Natalie Furhman navigates a cattle chute wearing Animal Eye Simulator augmented reality goggles while UWRF Humane Handling Institute (HHI) Program Manager Ashlynn Kirk watches the simulator’s display on a laptop computer. Credit: Pat Deninger] Through a cow’s…

[TechRadar draws on a report from the U.S. Department of Defense (which has been calling itself the Department of War), for this story about a new use the military has developed for presence-evoking Microsoft HoloLens augmented reality headsets. See the DoW report for more images and details, including this: “From a conference room back in Aviano, Air Force Airman 1st Class Delaney Boehm, a 724th AMS aircraft services specialist, guided the personnel in Vicenza through the joint inspection, circling areas on her screen that she wanted them to focus on.‘It was a great experience that showcased our squadrons’ innovative approach…

[Although most of us have received advertising and other business mail written and even printed to mimic a personal letter, this story from Futurism describes how the AI company Handwrytten and its competitors are taking the tactic to a new level by offering a service in which robots compose and ‘hand’-write (even in the purchaser’s cursive style) what seem like personal letters such as thank you notes and birthday cards. The goal is to save the purchaser time and effort while leading recipients to overlook the role of technology in the process. –Matthew] [Image: Credits: Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins /…