[From Linus Edwards’ VintageZen blog, where the post includes images for each proposed set exhibit] The Movie Set Museum by Linus Edwards March 11, 2013 I’ve had this idea percolating in my brain for awhile now – a museum that consists entirely of sets from famous movies. Each room in the museum would be a different movie set, made to replicate the actual feeling of being in that movie. Patrons would walk from room to room, at one moment being in The Godfather, and the next in Star Wars. I think the genesis of the idea came from when I…

[From The University of Buffalo News Center; a 2:01 minute video is available on YouTube] First-of-its-kind forklift simulator could reduce injuries, deaths By Cory Nealon Release Date: March 8, 2013 BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tactus Technologies has developed a first-of-its-kind virtual reality training program for forklift operators, a product that company officials expect will reduce work-related injuries and deaths. The program, called the 3D Forklift Trainer, allows operators to practice with a video game-like system that features a steering wheel, joystick, pedals and simulated environments such as warehouses, elevators and railroad tracks. The simulator arose from a need to improve operator…

[From Fast Company’s Co.Design, where the story includes additional images and reader comments] Why The Human Body Will Be The Next Computer Interface Fjord charts the major innovations of the past, and predicts a future of totally intuitive “micro gestures and expressions” that will control our devices. By Andy Goodman and Marco Righetto (of Fjord) March 5, 2013 By now you’ve probably heard a lot about wearables, living services, the Internet of Things, and smart materials. As designers working in these realms, we’ve begun to think about even weirder and wilder things, envisioning a future where evolved technology is embedded…

[From Mashable] [Image: Taylan Kay] ‘Auti-Sim’ Game Simulates Life With Childhood Autism Camille Bautista  – March 7, 2013 In a playground filled with gleeful shouts, you approach a group of children. Suddenly, your vision turns blurry and pixelated. The echoing screams become raucous. It’s the experience of sensory overload, according to a new game called Auti-Sim. The simulation, created by a three-member team at the Vancouver Hacking Health hackathon, aims to raise awareness of the challenges of hypersensitivity disorder and help people understand how it can lead to isolation. The closer you get to loud and active children, the more…

[From Virtually Real opinion column by Kat Smith in The Daily Orange, the independent campus newspaper of Syracuse University] Smith: Development of virtual storytelling, audience immersion in news content controversial Published March 7, 2013 By Kat Smith Part of a journalist’s role in society is to bring the audience into the story. Immersive journalism uses gaming platforms and virtual reality to take this idea to the next level and puts users inside a re-construction of events. Nonny de la Peña, manager of the University of Southern California MxR lab, presented this technology in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium on March 4.…

[From Duke Health; a 12:41 minute video is available on YouTube; the article is available from Scientific Reports] Brain-to-brain interface allows transmission of tactile and motor information between rats By Duke Medicine News and Communications Published: Feb. 28, 2013 DURHAM, N.C. — Researchers have electronically linked the brains of pairs of rats for the first time, enabling them to communicate directly to solve simple behavioral puzzles. A further test of this work successfully linked the brains of two animals thousands of miles apart—one in Durham, N.C., and one in Natal, Brazil. The results of these projects suggest the future potential…