[In a new study, researchers at the University of Bath show how using sensors to assess the emotional state of virtual reality users as they play exercise games and using that information to adjust the difficulty level of the game increases the user’s engagement in the activity. The original version of this story from the University includes a 1:55 minute video (also available on YouTube). –Matthew] Can technology turn exercise pain into pleasure? Most people who exercise using VR drop out when things gets too tough or dull – could programs that use sensors to tune into a person’s emotional…

[A new study from researchers at the University of South Australia demonstrates the potential of presence-evoking virtual reality to aid the learning of practical skills by people with intellectual disabilities. As with all of the press coverage, this story from Forbes is based on a press release from the University, which includes a 52-second video (also available on YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: Figure 7 from the published study. “Correct disposals in the real-world assessment across timepoints and between groups. Note: Circular points on each line represent the mean correct disposals in the Real-World Assessment, and the error bars represent the standard…

[Established in 2009 by GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, ViiV Healthcare is “a specialist pharmaceutical company 100% dedicated to HIV medicines and research and focused on people living with HIV and AIDS.” The company’s Head of Digital Innovation and Implementation Science is leading the development of a series of 360-degree videos for healthcare providers to view in virtual reality so that they’ll better understand what it’s like to be a patient dealing with the stigma of having HIV and learn how to avoid contributing to the stress and discomfort the stigma causes. A ViiV story about the project from August 29, 2024 is…

[In a startling but predictable development, the advancement of technologies that evoke a variety of forms of social presence are making it increasingly difficult or impossible to distinguish interactions with humans from interactions with technology. Though the prospects are daunting, several initiatives are underway to develop countermeasures, as described in this story from MIT Technology Review. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Stephanie Arnett/MIT Technology Review | Adobe Stock] How “personhood credentials” could help prove you’re a human online A system proposed by researchers from MIT, OpenAI, Microsoft and others could curb the use of deceptive AI by exploiting the technology’s weaknesses By…

[The study described in this story from the U of T News describes work being done at the University of Toronto on how using current presence-evoking technologies alters our interactions in the non-mediated world, with important implications for training (e.g., of surgeons, pilots, drivers, etc.). See the original version of the story for a second image. –Matthew] [Image: Research associate Xiaoye Michael Wang fits a VR display onto study participant Colin Dolynski Credit: Molly Brillinger] Virtual and augmented reality can temporarily change the way people perceive distances: Study ‘We wanted to understand if the way our brains and bodies adapt…

[As the story from The Guardian below reports, in a creative and positive application of presence-evoking technology, journalists in Venezuela are protecting themselves from government persecution by using AI-based avatars to present accurate news about events in the nation. Caracas Chronicles summarizes the development this way: “… traditional media outlets in Venezuela—large newspapers, TV and radio networks—are under some form of control by the government, so independent media, mostly small online platforms (save for the analogue ElBusTV) have to get creative. Enter Operación Retuit, which features short social media videos that encapsulate the initiative’s reporting. The catch is that these…