[Morehouse College, with help from Qualcomm and VictoryXR, is offering two courses on an immersive virtual reality version of its Atlanta, Georgia campus, as reported in this story from Auganix. The original story includes a second image and a short video example (also available with others via YouTube) and there’s more information in coverage by The Muscatine Journal (a first-person report) and Forbes, as well as the VictoryXR website. –Matthew] [Image: Some of the Morehouse College Professors in VR. Credit: Morehouse College / Qualcomm / VictoryXR] Morehouse College launches Virtual Reality campus and classes in collaboration with VictoryXR and Qualcomm…

[This story from Inc. about how one company is using avatars controlled in real time by actors to develop people’s empathy captures the essence of presence with this description: “like a good theater performance, the simulations have enough emotional realism to allow for a suspension of disbelief…  Participants react as they would in real life, even though they know the situation is artificial.” –Matthew] Learning Empathy Takes Practice. Lots of It. That’s Where Virtual Reality Can Help Mursion’s simulations use real actors in A.I.-generated scenarios–no bulky headset required. It could be the future of workplace learning. By Sophie Downes February…

[This piece from Hyperallergic provides a centuries-long view of the evolution of presence experiences from the development of linear perspective to represent three dimensions to today’s virtual reality headsets that “trap [the user] in a very well-designed sensorial cage.” How will presence experiences evolve over the next several centuries? See the original story for five more images. –Matthew] [Image: Thomas Eakins, “Perspective Study Of Boy Viewing Object” (1910). Credit: Wikiart] The Links Between Linear Perspective and Virtual Reality Technology It may surprise the reader to find that one of the founding moments for the development of virtual reality actually happened…

[Mashable’s story below features a first-person report about a new multi-device mixed reality platform after the company provided a demonstration “specifically meant to show ‘all the core capabilities of Microsoft Mesh: Presence and 3D collaboration.’” See the original story for the four-minute video the author mentions. For more information see the Microsoft Mesh website, the company’s concept video on YouTube, and another first-person report from The Verge (a second story there focuses on a prototype of a new Mesh-enabled iteration of Pokémon Go and includes a video). –Matthew] Forget Zoom. Microsoft wants you to chat with holograms. By Brenda Stolyar…

[A new set of deepfake videos apparently of Tom Cruise have raised new concerns about the rapid evolution of the AI technology. This story from VICE, where the original includes several videos and Tweets, is somewhat reassuring about the pace of that evolution but provides disturbing examples (at the end) of how coverage and discussion about the phenomenon is already causing harm. And a new story in Fortune adds this: “While today’s deepfakes are usually identifiable with careful digital forensic analysis, this process is time-consuming and requires a certain amount of expertise. Researchers are working to create A.I. systems that…

[This short story from Digital Camera World describes a new camera that will monitor a computer user’s posture and time sitting while working or playing, and then use “irresistible cuteness” to nudge them toward more healthy behavior. Posture Fit is described in detail at the 24:21 mark in the 32 minute Canon presentation video “Concept Camera Design Story – Form Born from Understanding” on YouTube. It’s hard to imagine not having a medium-as-social-actor presence response to the device. –Matthew] Canon’s cute new camera is like a Pixar character – and it dances on your desk! The Canon Posture Fit uses…

[The phenomenon identified in the title and described at the end of this long piece from Wired in the UK is just a small part of a detailed, thoughtful and entertaining first-person description of the current capabilities, limitations and benefits of working in virtual reality to create spatial and social presence experiences during a pandemic. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: VIVEPORT / KeswickVR / WIRED] I spent two weeks working in VR and now I’m not sure what’s real From scribbling on whiteboards on a beach to replying to emails in outer space, could a VR headset be the answer to WFH…

[A new technology from the genealogy company MyHeritage not only enhances and colorizes photos but animates faces to seemingly bring people to life, raising many interesting questions about the ethics and evolution of presence. This story is from Gizmodo, where the original includes several examples of what the new Deep Nostalgia feature can do. A press release on the day it launched (February 25) is available from Business Wire, and a blog post on the MyHeritage website features many user reactions after noting that “Over 1 million photos were animated in the first 48 hours alone. Today we expect to…

[This story from the New Statesman provides some interesting examples of how and why people have been using virtual reality during the pandemic and the role of (especially social) presence in their experiences. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Charley Gallay/Getty Images For Samsung] How the pandemic made virtual reality mainstream As lockdowns encourage people to turn to technology for social connection, distraction and exercise, VR no longer seems an overpriced or mystifying pastime. By Sarah Manavis 25 February 2021 When I logged on to the fitness app Strava three weeks into the current lockdown, I was shocked to see that one of…

[The technology that enables the creation and use of digital humans capable of evoking social presence is evolving quickly; as PetaPixel reports, one company has debuted a service that lets anyone “create a fully digital clone of themselves” which (who?) can then be made to appear “on “camera” saying anything in any language. The implications are both fascinating and, as the author notes, “daunting.” See the original story for the two short videos mentioned and see the Hour One website for examples and links to other press coverage. –Matthew] AI Can Now Turn You Into a Fully Digital, Realistic Talking…

[Even before entering academia I was intrigued with how non-interactive media including television and radio can evoke effective presence illusions, so I find this story from The New York Times particularly interesting. In his popular blog Kottke.org Jason Kottke notes that the videos described in the story are “related to slow TV and other meditative videos [he’s] posted over the years (e.g. the idling Arctic icebreaker & Tibetan singing bowl music.” See the original NYT story for five video examples and an additional image. –Matthew] The Soothing, Digital Rooms of YouTube Ambience videos pair relaxing soundscapes with animated scenery to…

[This story from NPR describes a new in-flight form of virtual reality training for pilots; the original story includes a 3-minute audio version, related links, and three more images, one of which has a caption that quotes pilot Jonathan Johnson saying “the VR technology was ‘like no other [training] flight I’ve flown’ and pilot Jerry Griffin saying ‘It doesn’t get any realer than that.’” –Matthew] [Image: The virtual reality system uses a clear plastic film strapped to the pilot’s helmet. Seen here, Jonathan Johnson’s view is obscured by “clouds.” What the pilot “sees” is controlled by an iPad. Credit: Russell…