[Utrecht University researchers have used a cleverly designed presence experience to teach game players about the important but often confusing and controversial topic of evolution. There are more images in the original version of this story and more details in the researchers’ article in the European Journal of STEM Education. In the article they explain how their choice to have players take the role of fungi in the Zombie Ants VR game was in part because of the popularity of the HBO series and video game The Last of Us. They write that they used virtual reality because it ”provides…

[As the effectiveness of generative artificial intelligence increases, a viral stunt demonstrates the power of labels and expectations to shape perception and evoke not just presence but inverse presence. This story is from DesignTAXI, where the original version includes many embedded social media posts that illustrate the misperception. For more details and post excerpts, see coverage in Fortune, PetaPixel and the Stable Diffusion subreddit. –Matthew] Real Monet got mistaken as AI copy, and everyone kept ripping it apart May 20, 2026 More than a century after Claude Monet painted Water Lilies, an image of the work managed to fool millions…

[The expert author of this essay from Robotics & Automation News makes a strong argument for, and predictions about, the increased use of telepresence in a wide variety of remote work settings. –Matthew] Expert opinion: Extending remote work to the factory floor through telepresence By David EdwardsGuest author: Yonas Teodros Tefera, research team lead of the Vicarios Lab in the Department of Advanced Robotics at the Italian Institute of TechnologyMay 13, 2026 Remote work has largely been defined by office jobs. Video calls, shared documents, and digital collaboration tools have allowed knowledge workers to operate from almost anywhere. But for…

[As the weapons used in war advance, so do those used for training soldiers- in this case both the weapons and training are based on presence experiences. Ukraine’s United24 Media reports on new virtual reality training to prepare soldiers to counter the threat of Russian FPV (first-person view) drones, and to pilot their own drones. See the original story for a 0:38 minute video (also available on YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: A stillframe from SKIFTECH’s “Minus Drone” VR simulator, designed to train Ukrainian soldiers to shoot down FPV drones. Credit: SKIFTECH] New Ukrainian VR Simulator Recreates Russian FPV Drone Threats By…

[Unitree Robotics has unveiled a real-life mecha – a giant robot controlled by an onboard pilot. Although there aren’t many details about the operation mechanism, in science fiction portrayals the pilot experience a sense of presence as in teleoperation but arguably more intense, in which the technology feels like an extension of their body. The story below from Global Times describes the new robot, and a 1:14 minute demonstration video is available on YouTube. For more about mechas, see the New York Public Library blog and Wikipedia. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Unitree Robotics] Science fiction becomes reality: Unitree Robotics unveils world’s…

[The essay below from The Conversation explains why interacting with AI chatbots leads many people, including recently even noted skeptic Richard Dawkins, to believe the chatbots are or at least could be conscious, a compelling example of medium-as-social-actor presence. The essay authors also join others in noting that this can lead to negative consequences, and they go on to suggest ways to discourage these perceptions and beliefs. For more coverage of the Dawkins claim, see a story in the Guardian (that includes this: “Dawkins isn’t the first, but might be the most eminent person yet, to be seduced into believing…

[Here’s an abridged version of an interesting story from Beauty Matter about the evolution of immersive experiences designed with the combination of scent and sound, most recently for the use of marketing fragrances and fragrance brands. See the original version of the story for more details and examples, along with four more images. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Jill Steinberg] Scent and Sound: The New Frontier of Immersive Experiences By Carla SeippMay 5, 2026 Scent and sound have always had a close kinship. They share a vocabulary, like top notes, base notes, and accords, but they also share a neurological component. The…

[Stories about presence continue to be popular. As reported here by Polygon, the stories and world of the Blade Runner films and television series, which all originated in the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, will return in an immersive experience. For more details see the press release via PR Newswire. In related news, SyFy reports that a new film version of Westworld is in the works. –Matthew] Blade Runner returns in 2027 with a new way to experience it Dry your eyes and experience new moments in North America this 2027 By Aimee HartMay 11,…

[The results of a new study reported in Science News won’t be surprising to those familiar with previous work on homuncular flexibility in virtual reality (e.g., by Andrea Stevenson Won et al.), but the results are intriguing and have important implications. See the original version of the story below for a nine second video (also on YouTube) and follow the link to the new article in Cell Reports for more details. –Matthew] 25 people learned to fly with virtual wings. Here’s how the brain changed After flight training, the brain began treating wings more like real limbs By Yujia HuangMay…

[British Airways recently created a presence-evoking immersive experience in which it transformed a New York subway into one of its airplanes. The installation, part of a larger campaign, is described in this story from DesignTAXI – see the original version for two more images, a 2:48 minute video (also available on YouTube), and three embedded social media posts. An excerpt from the British Airways press release follows below – see the original version of the release for more images. –Matthew] British Airways transforms NYC subway into one of its planes May 1, 2026 Your daily commute rarely comes with a…

[The prospect of creating AI chatbots that simulate specific human beings almost always raises interesting and important questions. The latest example, described in this story from the South China Morning Post, is an AI that simulates a person’s former romantic partner. See the original version of the story for four more images. Tech writer Mike Elgan writes about this in his Machine Society substack and concludes with this: “My beef with this concept is the same I have with any kind of relationship AI. It’s delusion-inducing for many users (who may believe the digital twin is actually a copy of…

[This widely cited story from The Guardian reports that schools in London are using presence-evoking virtual reality to reduce student anxiety around exams and other stressors. See the original version of the story for a second image, and the Phase Space website for more details and a 1:51 minute video (also available on Vimeo). –Matthew] [Image: A pupil using a Phase Space VR headset. Credit: Phase Space] London schools trialling VR to relieve pupils’ stress Phase Space pilot programme with NHS mental health trust used to calm anxiety around exams, ADHD and home troubles By Denis Campbell and Sinéad CampbellMay…