[This story from I Programmer isn’t technically news, but as someone with a medical condition that requires regular phlebotomies, I found it particularly thought-provoking. –Matthew ] A Robot With A Hypodermic Needle Written by Lucy Black 27 July 2013 Would you let a robot take your blood? The answer to this question illuminates our real relationship to machines that aspire to rise above the robot vac. Is there another sort of uncanny valley? Veebot is a very clever use of some basic image processing plus some very accurate positioning mechanisms. It first locates a good vein using infrared. Once it…

[From Hypergrid Business, where the column includes a 0:32 minute promotional video for Chuck E. Cheese’ “Virtual Ticket Blaster”] [Image: Belarus-based Amusement & Edutainment Technologies pairs an Oculus Rift with moving seats to create its 3D entertainment attraction. (Image courtesy AET.)] Virtual reality could find its first home outside the home by Kevin Williams · May 29, 2014 The arcade industry was decimated back in the mid-90’s by the advancements in consumer console games as well as a failure to adapt to changing player demographics. Virtual reality could bring it back. As a side benefit, virtual reality arcades could help…

[From Silicon Angle, where the story includes more pictures and a 16:47 minute video] [Image: Microsoft] Virtual Reality brings Big Data visualization to life Mike Wheatley | May 29th 2014 Data visualization tools have made it somewhat easier to glean intelligence from a mass of information. But today’s tools are still extremely inefficient, as they fail to incorporate the science of human visual perception into their data visualization techniques. This results in tools that deliver great “eye candy” but poor human comprehension of the data. Traditional tools also tend to visualize what we already know about the data, rather than…

[From a large and interesting feature in IEEE Spectrum, “Special Report: The Future We Deserve: The Next 50 Years,” where the story features more images and three videos] [Image: Digital Ira] Digital Actors Go Beyond the Uncanny Valley Computer-generated humans in movies and video games are paving the way for new forms of entertainment By Tekla S. Perry Posted 27 May 2014 Say hello to Ira. His head is visible on a screen as though he’s in a videoconference. He seems to be in his early 30s, with a shaved head, a pronounced nose, and thin eyebrows. Ira seems a…

[From VentureBeat, where the story includes more images and a 1:26 minute video] [Image: A 3D recreation of the Mulberry Harbor built after D-Day. Image Credit: Dassault Systemes.] Engineers build D-Day relics that you can view in virtual reality with Oculus Rift May 26, 2014 Dean Takahashi Engineers have rebuilt D-Day relics in virtual reality using blueprints for the devices that were used the storming of Normandy seventy years ago. History buffs will be able to view these 3D animated visuals with the Oculus Rift virtual reality goggles. D-Day veterans have seen it and been amazed by it, and Nova (a…

[From The Creators Project, where the story includes several more images and a 2:12 minute video; more coverage is available from Geek] New Augmented Reality Prototype Can Make Any Object A Touch-Sensitive Visual Display By DJ Pangburn — May 27 2014 From music apps to Oculus Rift developments, it’s no question that augmented reality is continuously forcing its way into popular consciousness. Yet one of the technological questions to be answered about the increasingly-omnipresent format is the range and scope of how humans will interact with the innovation. Whether it’s smart glasses or other tech products, voice command has proven…