[The decades-long pursuit of, and prognostication about, mainstream commercial success for presence-evoking virtual reality continues; here’s a cautiously optimistic assessment by two experts on VR and sport from the Sports Business Journal. In addition to the link in the story, visit the Dayholi website for more about that VR company and the SailGP website for more about that sailing league’s VR and XR innovations. –Matthew] [Image: Tech-driven SailGP events keep spectators engaged with real-time, graphical overlays of the competition. Credit: Getty Images] Opinion Virtual reality: Not dead, just still ahead of its time By Rick Burton, the David B. Falk…

[A promising application of presence-evoking technologies externalizes the destructive inner voice people with eating disorders (and other conditions) hear as a digital avatar, allowing patients to confront and banish the voice. This abridged version of a story from The Sunday Times describes the treatment process; note references to the patients suspending disbelief, feeling transported, and the experience seeming real. See the original version of the story for five more pictures and links to other related stories. The research report for the study is available via medRxiv. –Matthew] [Image: Illustration by lou kiss] I cured my eating disorder using virtual reality…

[The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has a team dedicated specifically to creating immersive media experiences that raise awareness and help “alleviate suffering for those affected by conflict.” This article from the ICRC website describes the team’s mission, origins and evolution, and identifies some of its productions; in addition to the links in the article, see the website for six embedded short videos that provide more details about the productions. –Matthew] The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Immersive Technology (ImmTech) team: See What We See. Understand What We Do. July 7, 2026 The ICRC Immersive Technology…

[A very positive application of presence to improve the design of products and spaces is described in two stories below; the first, from The CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Universe, provides an overview, and the second, from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, provides additional details. For information on many other presence-related projects at the University of Canterbury’s Human Interface Technology (HIT) Lab, visit the Lab’s Research page. –Matthew] [Image: UC Mechanical Engineering student Julio Messenger (left) and Henry Ward with Dr George Stilwell and Associate Professor Shayne Gooch. Source: University of Canterbury] Researchers Use Virtual Reality to Advance Disability-Inclusive…

[Quickly evolving technologies are making it possible to have ever more vivid and realistic presence experiences in which we interact not only with other people but with our future self, with potentially valuable impacts, as illustrated in new work by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law. This story is from Germany‘s DW (Deutsche Welle); for more details, listen to the 30 minute episode of the Science unscripted podcast titled “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Unai Huizi/imageBROKER/picture alliance] Can VR help you achieve your goals? A Max…

[Ermo Säks explores how cinematic virtual reality, in which film and video are presented to viewers in 360 degrees, “helps people become accustomed to virtual reality, spatial media and other emerging immersive environments that are highly engaging and alter one’s perception of reality.” This story from Tallin University (also available via Phys.org) describes his dissertation, which is available via the link at the end. –Matthew] A doctoral thesis examined what happens when the cinema screen is no longer in front of the viewer, but the viewer is instead inside the film’s narrative Until now, most films have been shown on…

[We return from a break with this story about new mixed reality apps that help users learn and practice the physical movements, and to develop the psychological confidence, needed for dancing with a partner. The story is from NPR, where the original includes a second image and an audio version. Follow the links to the apps for more information, images and videos. –Matthew] [Image: Entrepreneur David Huang tests out a VR headset while conducting demonstrations of the social dance lesson app Dance Guru at the Augmented World Expo in Long Beach, Calif., June 17, 2026. Credit: Chloe Veltman/NPR] Shy on…

[Although it nearly always seems to us that the world we see with our eyes is exactly the world that exists outside of us, our eyes only sample reality for our brain to interpret. As this story from the University of Rochester explains very well, that means that creating a presence illusion of reality with virtual or augmented reality is much more challenging and complicated than creating high-resolution, “lifelike” images. See the original version of the story for four more images and a 2:15 minute video (also on YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: Credit: University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster]…

[Northeastern University researchers have created and are testing a new game that uses the player’s facial expressions not to trigger simple changes in aesthetics or difficulty but as a mechanism for playing the game: “The emotional input you’re asked to provide further boosts the sense of ‘dramatic agency’ and makes you feel like a participant.” The ultimate goal is to build “emotional perspective-taking” and empathy, in this case for members of the LGBTQ+ community. The approach has great potential not only for VR games but in other contexts, as explained at the end of the story. See the original version…

[The use of presence-evoking virtual reality for taekwondo is the basis for “a growing community of the gamified combat sport across Southeast Asia.” This story from AP News provides details, including some of the motivations for and benefits of virtual taekwondo; see the original version of the story for eight more large and vivid images and a 52 second video. –Matthew] [Image: Virtual Taekwondo athletes compete at an event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, June 20, 2026. Credit: AP Photo/Vincent Thian] VR and gaming are adding a kick to taekwondo By Eileen NgJuly 7, 2026 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) —…

[The news that AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood will star in a feature film (as an AI-generated character) is receiving wide coverage in the press, including this report from Variety. Following that below I’ve added presence-related excerpts from a few stories in other publications, and from a recent interview with the Tilly Norwood in the New York Times Magazine (the interviewer gives an insightful assessment of why the actress evokes her medium-as-social-actor presence). –Matthew] Tilly Norwood to Lead New Movie ‘Misaligned,’ Marking Feature Debut for AI ‘Actor’ By Alex RitmanJuly 6, 2026 Tilly Norwood, the AI “actor” who sparked a frenzy…

[High-end technologies designed to evoke spatial and social presence have come a long way in the last few decades, as can be seen in this story from AV Magazine about the latest products from the company Noro. See the original version of the story for two more pictures, follow the links at the end for videos of the latest tech, and for more details visit the Noro website. –Matthew] Is Tommaso Trionfi taking the next turn in telepresence? The CEO of Noro and his team are combining an LED wall with an embedded central camera, companion touchscreen, collaboration tools and…