[The design is still evolving, but this short story from Gizmodo describes a new VR accessory that could increase presence for VR users. See the original story for two videos, and for much more information including several videos, see the designer/creator Alexander Evans’ blog. –Matthew] These Motorized Shoes Could Be the Key to Making Virtual Reality Fully Immersive Joanna Nelius, Staff Reporter, Reviews at Gizmodo. Formerly PC Gamer, Maximum PC. August 5, 2020 There’s no shortage of people trying to make virtual reality gaming a more immersive experience. There are VR arenas where people strap on PC backpacks and play…

[For many years I’ve assigned students a “future of media” exercise in which they imagine what their mediated experiences will be like in 20 years; this thought-provoking story from Forbes does something similar by describing a near-future in which technologies have evolved to evoke many different kinds of presence and change the nature of work and play. See the original version for two more images and two videos. –Matthew] A Day In The Metaverse Cathy Hackl, Contributor Forbes CMO Network “I’m a tech futurist focused on the transformative impact of AR, VR, & AI.” Written with insight from Fifer Garbesi,…

[Frenchly reports on a new 360 degree film at the FlyView attraction in Paris, and available for free viewing via Oculus VR, that features footage from before and after the fire that nearly destroyed the Notre Dame Cathedral. The description from Flyview says viewers will “Teleport into the cathedral in virtual reality, as if you were really there.” See the original story for a 52 second video (also available via YouTube); the story also includes an embedded Tweet from Targo that notes that the documentary “Rebuilding Notre Dame” is “competing for a nomination to the #Emmys2020 in the Original Interactive…

[TimeOut New York reports on a new augmented reality project that “bring[s] the streets and buildings of old New York to life before your eyes.” I particularly like the inclusion of a separate “immersive” mode that omits the visual and audio information available in other modes. The original story includes two other images and a 6:54 minute video (also available via YouTube). The mentioned coverage in Untapped New York adds the detail that the two creators are both NYU undergraduate students. –Matthew] See old New York appear before your eyes with this new augmented reality app Explore Chinatown’s Doyers Street…

[A new article in the journal Science Robotics discusses how home-based telepresence robots can help societies lessen the “secondary impacts” of a pandemic; this story from Inverse summarizes the article. Note that the initial definition of a telepresence robot is then implicitly broadened to include independent (AI-based) capabilities. For more information follow the link to the original article. –Matthew] SOCIAL DISTANCING CAN BE LONELY, BUT ROBOTS CAN HELP The robot revolution is coming, but not as you think. Sarah Wells July 16, 2020 With Covid-19 infection rates continuing to climb throughout the U.S., it’s safe to say that maintaining social…

[This story from STUFF describes a new virtual tour that provides the public with a first-person experience of a distant heritage site and it also includes an interesting example of inverse presence, where an experience not mediated by technology is perceived as mediated. See the original story for 7 more images and a 41 second video. For more information, including a different 2:31 minute video, see the Antarctic Heritage Trust website. And for a 1:53 minute news report see 1 News. –Matthew] [Image: Sir Edmund Hillary’s grandson Alexander Hillary with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Credit: Abigail Dougherty/STUFF] Hillary’s Hut: Virtual…

[This story from Artsy reports on how the pandemic has encouraged new uses of presence-evoking technologies for viewing and purchasing high-end art; see the original version of the story for 11 more images. –Matthew] [Image: ArtLab, in software installation view of Ellen Gallagher’s DeLuxe, 2004-05, and Mark Bradford’s Chicago, 2019, created in HWVR. Credit: Copyright held by the artists. Courtesy of the artists and Hauser & Wirth.] Galleries and Fairs Are Turning to Virtual Reality to Connect with Collectors Justin Kamp July 29, 2020 In the months since COVID-19 shut down most traditional in-person avenues for viewing and purchasing art,…

[NZBusiness describes a promising application of technology that can create social presence with a virtual person to help people quit smoking (note there are links to two videos at the end). Co-founder and chief business officer of the New Zealand company that created the technology, Greg Cross, comments further in other coverage: From NZHub: “We would call Florence a digital person,” Greg Cross, co-founder of Soul Machines, told Morning Report. “She’s a CGI creation just as we see in the movies, but what’s unique about Florence and other digital people like her is she is … autonomously animated by a…

[A modern version of wall murals (e.g., those sold by wall26), Roomality’s virtual windows and walls use 3D and AI to create a compelling presence illusion without obtrusive headsets or even glasses. This story is from The Irish Times, where it includes a 1:41 minute video (also available via YouTube) and two more images. For more information, including a second video (also on YouTube), see the company’s website. –Matthew] Irish entrepreneur promises VR experience without goggles or headsets John Moore’s Roomality is developing ‘virtual windows’ solution By Charlie Taylor July 21, 2020 Tech entrepreneur John Moore, who sold his former…

[This short piece from PC Gamer nicely captures both prospective benefits and significant concerns about a future saturated with presence experiences, focused in this case on a new AI-driven text-to-speech technology that creates compelling illusions. The original story includes the 4:25 minute video it describes, and the video is also available on YouTube and on Sonantic’s website. More information is in stories from Yahoo! News and The Times (the latter behind a subscriber firewall). –Matthew] Oh good, someone invented the ‘first AI capable of crying’ A company has created a text-to-speech technology that doesn’t just read words, it simulates an…

[Social distancing requirements are leading producers of sports coverage – and many others – to get creative in simulating missing audience members. This story from Variety describes how Major League Baseball is addressing the issue with digital fans (see the original version for a 19 second video). SB Nation’s coverage (“The uncanny valley is full of Fox Sports’ virtual baseball fans”) characterizes it this way: “In order to make the return of baseball feel more ‘alive’ on TV, Fox is adding full stadiums of virtual baseball fans that cheer and boo along with the action. It’s a means to make…

[New Atlas reports on an innovative wearable design with several presence applications; the original story includes a 3:18 minute video (also available via YouTube) and more information is also available from Cornell University. The new paper includes this: “Another interest[ing] application of FingerTrak in the future is to replace the glove or controller in [a] Virtual Reality setting, to free the hands in VR interaction. Moreover, FingerTrak can be used to control a robotic hand remotely and thus provide a novel means of human robot interaction where precise human hand manipulation is needed.” (p. 71:21) –Matthew] [Image: A digital model…