International Society
for Presence Research

Author: Matthew Lombard

  • Call: Playing Antiquity: Video Games, Teaching and Historical Knowledge

    Published:

    Call for Papers: Playing Antiquity: Video Games, Teaching and Historical KnowledgeSpecial issue of AI & Antiquity: Journal of Teaching and Technology in Ancient Studieshttps://ai-antiquity.org/index.php/ai/cfp Deadline for submissions: February 28, 2027 AI & Antiquity: Journal of Teaching and Technology in Ancient Studies invites contributions for its first Special Issue, Playing Antiquity: Video Games, Teaching and Historical Knowledge, to be published in June 2027. Video games have become one of the major environments through which students and wider audiences encounter the ancient world. Yet their significance for Ancient Studies extends beyond questions of historical accuracy. Through mechanics, rules, maps, narratives, economies, political…

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  • ‘Shrek’ Cosm immersive experience may signal shared reality trend

    Published:

    [An expanded, dome-based immersive 25th anniversary version of the film Shrek is said to signal a “potential trend towards more Shared Reality experiences,” as reported in this story from ScreenRant. Excerpts from other coverage follow below. Short promotional videos are available on YouTube and TikTok. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Cosm on Instagram] New Version Of Shrek Movie Officially Releasing 25 Years Later By Hannah GearanSeptember 17, 2026 Shrek is getting new life in a re-release, but in an unexpected format. The fantasy series kicked off a quarter-century ago in 2001. The original movie earned strong critical reviews and a hefty box…

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  • Call: 1st Intl. Congress on Media and Comm. at Yeni Yuzyil

    Published:

    Call for Papers: 1st International Congress on Media and Communication at Yeni YuzyilNovember 23-24, 2026Onlinehttps://uyymik.yeniyuzyil.edu.tr/index-en.php Deadline for submission of abstracts: November 8, 2026 The 1st International Congress on Media and Communication at Yeni Yuzyil, organized to support the sharing of scientific knowledge, international collaborations, and professional development, brings together academics, researchers, professionals, and relevant stakeholders who are experts in the field. At the online congress, which will be held on 23-24 November 2026; current developments in our field, innovative approaches, scientific studies, and perspectives for the future will be discussed. We invite all academics, researchers, experts, and relevant stakeholders to…

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  • Will Immersive goggles change the way surgeons operate?

    Published:

    [This analysis from a story in Medscape highlights the many factors involved in successfully adopting new presence-evoking technologies in an application where there’s little margin for error. For related information see the “Dive deeper” feature in the original version. For earlier coverage on this topic see “With innovation of Medical Vision Goggles, no cancer cells left behind” from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and “The future of surgery: Using augmented reality goggles in the operating room” from UC Davis Health. –Matthew] [Image: Source: UC Davis Health] Will Immersive Goggles Change the Way Surgeons Operate? By Silvia C. CarpalloSeptember…

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  • Call: Human-AI Interaction and Technology-Mediated Human Representation in XR

    Published:

    Call for Papers: MixHAI-XR: Human-AI Interaction and Technology-Mediated Human Representation in eXtended RealityA workshop at ACM IUI 2027: 31st Annual ACM Conference on Intelligent User InterfacesFebruary 8-11, 2027 (Workshop date TBA)Helsinki, FinlandWorkshop: https://mixhai.icar.cnr.it/IUI 2027: https://iui.acm.org/2027/ Deadline for submission of papers: November 9, 2026 MixHAI-XR explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way humans are represented, from realistic replicas and human digital twins to agents that combine traits of different people. Extended Reality (XR) is the central interaction paradigm through which people meet, embody, and collaborate with these representations. ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:FROM HUMAN REPRESENTATION TO IMMERSIVE INTERACTION As generative AI,…

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  • Review: “Everest: First Ascent” immersive VR experience

    Published:

    [The description and review of a new presence-evoking virtual reality experience called “Everest: First Ascent” below is from the Immersive Rumours website (see the original review for four different images). More information is available from a press release via EIN Presswire, including this: “Developed with guidance from a scientific advisory board of Himalayan, mountaineering and cultural specialists, Everest: The First Ascent goes beyond the iconic photographs and documentaries that have carried the story across generations.  … Antoine Lieutaud, Founder and CEO of Eclipso, said: ‘Audiences no longer just have to hear or watch the story of the first ever ascent…

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  • Call: Expert review of immersive game-based learning design guidelines

    Published:

    Call for Participation: Expert review of immersive game-based learning design guidelinesPosted to the GAMESNETWORK e-list on September 21, 2026 Hello, I am currently recruiting academics with experience in immersive technologies, serious games, gamification, or game-based learning to help validate a newly developed framework containing 103 design guidelines. If you sign up, you will receive a set of guidelines to review and will have 30 days to complete the review at your own pace. Following the analysis, you will receive a subset of modified guidelines. These will be guidelines have not reached consensus amongst the evaluators in the first phase and…

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  • Insights from veteran designers of immersive media attractions

    Published:

    [In this essay from blooploop (“the world’s most read news source for visitor attractions professionals”), experts in designing and creating presence-evoking immersive media attractions describe some of the many complex and interacting decisions involved. They argue that the criterion for successful design should not be a single technical specification like image resolution but a system that will produce the desired outcome for the user, “what guests actually experience.” Although it’s not mentioned by name, they make clear that presence is a big part of that outcome. See the original version of the essay for five more images. –Matthew] [Image: Odyssey…

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  • Call: Digital Death in Context and Practice: Care, Legacy, Culture and Society

    Published:

    Call for Papers: Digital Death in Context and Practice: Care, Legacy, Culture and SocietyDigital Legacy Conference (DLC) and Death Online Research Symposium (DORS) 2027May 27-28, 2027University of Birmingham, UKhttps://www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/call-for-papers-panels-and-practicepolicy-contributions Deadline for submissions: November 27, 2026 Join us for the Digital Death in Context and Practice: Care, Legacy, Culture and Society. The Digital Legacy Conference (DLC) and the Death Online Research Symposium (DORS) will come together in Birmingham on the 27-28 May 2027. Through a new collaboration and in partnership with University of Birmingham, the conference will explore how digital technologies are reshaping death, dying, bereavement, memory, legacy and relationships with…

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  • AI-powered brain implant for paralysis enables both speech and body language

    Published:

    [While discussion often focuses on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, AI is helping to enable important benefits. This news release from the National Institutes of Health in the US describes a new machine-learning powered brain-computer interface that lets people who are paralyzed communicate not only via speech but simultaneously using both speech and physical gestures via an avatar, “more closely replicating natural expression.” For details see the new published study, which includes links to five videos; one 0:56 minute video is available on YouTube. Coverage from Science includes this: “’The authors have taken an important step toward developing highly…

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  • Call: IPrA 2027: Positioning in Mediated Political Talk

    Published:

    Call for Panel Contributions: Positioning in mediated political talk20th International Pragmatics Conference (IPC20)International Pragmatics Association (IPrA)June 27 -July 2, 2027University of HelsinkiFinlandhttps://discourseanalysis.net/en/cfp-ipra-2027-positioning-mediated-political-talk Deadline for submission of abstracts: October 15, 2026 In mediated political talk, participants continuously position themselves and others in relation to each other as well as to broader political discourses that shape and constrain their interaction. Through such positioning practices, situated interaction becomes interwoven with and related to wider (trans-situational) discursive formations. This panel invites contributions that explore this intersection between interaction and discourse by focusing on positioning and stancetaking (cf. Du Bois 2007) in mediated political talk.…

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  • First-person report: Apple finally hits a VR home run

    Published:

    [In this first-person report, the executive editor of Macworld describes his positive presence experiences using the Apple Vision Pro during a dedicated broadcast of a Major League Baseball game. See the original version for two embedded videos. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Foundry] Opinion Apple finally hits a VR home run An immersive baseball game opened my eyes to how incredible Vision Pro actually is. By Michael Simon, Executive Editor, MacworldAugust 31, 2026 I’ve never had a desire to buy a Vision Pro. Even if I had $4,000 to blow at the Apple Store, I’d probably pick up a loaded MacBook Pro…

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