[This story about a very positive application of augmented reality and gaming technologies to evoke presence and learning is from Adweek. The original version includes two more pictures and a 2:04 minute video (also available via YouTube); I added the three links in the second paragraph. –Matthew] Bring Down the Berlin Wall Using Augmented Reality in Minecraft Earth Created by a German museum, simulation puts users in the shoes of those who took part in the historic moment By Patrick Kulp December 5, 2020 A Berlin museum focused on life in former East Germany is transporting virtual visitors back to…

[This link-filled Forbes story reviews both the promise and peril of presence-evoking technologies in the area of human sexuality. For more on this topic see –Matthew] Future Of Intimacy: Sex Bots, Virtual Reality, And Smart Sex Toys By Bernard Marr, Contributor November 30, 2020 Now that we have intelligent lightbulbs, doorbells, refrigerators, and more, it was only a matter of time before our most primal and intimate lives became smarter through artificial intelligence. Since sextech was allowed to exhibit at CES 2020 among the health and wellness vendors instead of denied entry or tucked away in the back as in…

[The technology described in this press-release-based story from the Fort Bend (Texas) Independent allows children to talk to Santa Claus safely during the pandemic. See the technology in action in a 2:13 minute news report from KPRC via Click2Houston. For more on how Santas are staying safe while entertaining children this year, including via video conferencing, see coverage in The Washington Post. –Matthew] Real Santa, Virtual Santa Or Magic Santa? By Seshadri Kumar November 13, 2020 The holiday tradition of meeting Santa is not lost this year though social distancing is the norm of the day during the pandemic.…

[An intriguing project by Ziv Schneider explores responses to, and ethical choices concerning, one category of virtual beings by having an Instagram virtual influencer age and die. The original version of this Variety story and interview includes two different images; for more details and images see an earlier interview in Next Avenue, which includes this quote: “[Sylvia’s computer-generated] language actually has been pretty convincing for a lot of people to read. I think a lot of them didn’t know that it’s been automated. [snip] Most respond very positively to her, and a lot of people think that she is a…

[This story about the use of presence-evoking technologies to explore one’s gender identity comes from Dezeen, where the original includes three more images and the two short videos described in the story. More information is available on Marcel/a Baltarete’s RCA website. See also the February 2020 ISPR Presence News post “Using VR and presence to question and explore gender.” –Matthew] [Image: Baltarete’s animation shows their avatar with a translucent body.] Marcel/a Baltarete uses 3D animation as therapy for gender dysphoria By Jennifer Hahn 12 November 2020 Royal College of Art graduate Marcel/a Baltarete has created a series of short animations…

[Both the creative and financial potential of virtual reality art are explored in this link-filled story from Forbes, where the original includes two more images and three videos; note especially the link to the Radiance VR website, where you can review “documentations of more than 160 VR art experiences by 150 artists from 30 countries.” –Matthew] [Image: Bangkok, Thailand – 2020/11/05: People enjoying with VR headset in front of the Marina Abramovic’s artwork during the exhibition at The Parq Klong Toey. Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) is a biannual art festival set in the capital of Thailand throughout the heart of…

Watch the 1:04 minute demonstration video via the link in this short press release from Extend Robotics Ltd. via PR Newswire to see R:O:B:, a new teleoperated bartender robot that features “real-time, immersive and intuitive control using the latest VR technologies, highly realistic human-like dexterity and reachability to six degrees of freedom (DoF).” –Matthew] [Image: Source: Extend Robotics on Twitter] British firm, Extend Robotics Ltd., launches “R:O:B:” – a Virtual Reality-controlled ‘robotically optimised bartender’ Extend Robotics announces successful trial of VR remote-controlled robot with application in services, healthcare, utilities and energy November 25, 2020 READING, England, Nov. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/…

[Using measures of physiological and behavioral responses to a series of experiences inside virtual reality, researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed an objective measure that predicts people’s susceptibility to the damaging impacts of stress. This story from EPFL describes the project; the original version includes three different images and a 2:47 minute video (also available via YouTube). See the article in Nature Communications for more details. –Matthew] [Image: Elevated alley VR scenario. Source: EPFL via Newswise] Virtual reality helps measure vulnerability to stress Behavioral scientists at EPFL have developed a virtual reality test that assesses a…

[The Tribune report below describes an effect of the limitations in presence provided by video conferencing systems including Zoom. Coverage in health24 adds these details: “Dr Benjamin Marcus, an author of another study that investigated self-observation, self-criticism and narcissism commented on the results of the study: ‘The Covid-19 pandemic has radically changed the frequency with which we are confronted with our own image. The shift to online work, learning, and even socialising has dramatically increased the time we have to observe ourselves.’ […] The phenomenon of Zoom Dysmorphia has been developing for a while. In an Allure article, which looked…

[This essay from American City & County by the CEO and founder of a company that makes them, describes how presence-evoking simulators are evolving to better prepare law enforcement for the challenges of their job, including the insidious role of biases regarding members of the public. –Matthew] How virtual reality simulators are changing law enforcement training By Bob Ferris, VirTra 28th October 2020 There’s a pressing need for improvements in effective police training. Officers need to hone their skills for managing crisis situations and de-escalating dangerous encounters. Repeatable and accurate training is required to build their resiliency to stress and…

[As reported by Pain News Network (PNN), a treatment that uses virtual reality (and apparently presence) to treat chronic pain has received “Breakthrough Device Designation” from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The beginning of the PNN report below is followed by an earlier first-person review of the AppliedVR device. For more information see a press release about the FDA designation via Business Wire, a three-minute video in the original PNN review (and YouTube), and the AppliedVR website. –Matthew] [Image: Screenshot of AppliedVR Pain Care virtual reality content that visualizes the user’s breath. Source: “Self-Administered Skills-Based Virtual Reality Intervention…

[This thoughtful, link-filled essay from Forbes considers the complicated swirl of issues surrounding the use and effects of virtual influencers and fictional digital characters more generally. See the original version for four more images. –Matthew] [Image: She’s in on it. Credit: Lil Miquela via Instagram] The Problematic Fakery Of Lil Miquela Explained—An Exploration Of Virtual Influencers and Realness Matt Klein, Contributor, “Studying culture and the interplay of our technology and psychology” November 17, 2020 Just as robots replaced the factory workers, and the drive-through workers were outsourced to India, those employed to yacht the world, drink fat-burning smoothies and just…