[A team of professionals from diverse fields at Illinois State University are collaborating to use virtual reality (and presence) to improve aging-in-place therapies. See the original version of this story from the University for a second image. –Matthew] Interprofessional collaboration and design in virtual reality environments for rehabilitation and aging-in-place By Lauren HagyNovember 12, 2024 The effectiveness of individualized aging-in-place practices and therapeutic services often relies on a collaborative and integrated approach. Interprofessional practice, which involves the collaboration of professionals from various fields, has emerged as a best practice in elevating the quality and outcomes of care. This article delves…

[The current iteration of inventor and musician Bill Sebastian’s “Outerspace Visual Communicator” combines a music synthesizer with virtual reality to create a unique presence-evoking immersive media experience, as described in this story from WBUR. Visit the original version to listen to the story and for a second image and three videos. For more about the OVC, visit the Visual Music Systems website. –Matthew] [Image: The audience experience at the Boston Immersive Music Festival with Julian Loida performing with Bill Sebastian. Credit: Courtesy Rose Sebastian] Virtual reality meets music in an inventor’s cosmic dream By Amelia MasonOctober 17, 2024 On an…

[Researchers at Human University in China have developed a new type of bifocal lens that has the potential to enhance the experience of users of presence-evoking technologies including virtual and augmented reality. The work is described in this news release from Optica (the original version includes a second image. –Matthew] [Image: Figure 1 from Zhou, Ye, Li, Tang, & Fan (2024): (a) Schematic diagram of a two-layer LC bifocal lens device. (b) Diagram of the proposed two-layer structure bifocal LC lens (the first layer is a LC cell and the second layer is a polymer) and detailed regulation process when…

[The University of Miami is using virtual reality and presence to encourage new students there to explore the campus and feel a greater sense of engagement and belonging, ultimately increasing student retention. The story below is from Inside Higher Ed, where the original version includes two different images and a 3:49 minute video (also available on YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: Source: University of Miami Interactive Media via YouTube] Success Program Launch: Incorporating VR Into the First-Year Seminar This fall, the University of Miami introduced a new virtual reality tool into a first-year course. The initiative is targeted toward retention and engagement…

[Here’s a first-person report on what it’s currently like to watch a basketball game in virtual reality, and some observations on how the (presence) experience could be improved. It’s from Android Central, where the original version includes a second pictures and two videos. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: XStadium] Watching the Warriors in VR was so close to epic I watched the Warriors-Rockets game with my Meta Quest 3, getting a courtside view for free — and it was fun, frantic, and imperfect. By Michael L Hicks, Senior Editor, Wearables & AR/VRNovember 5, 2024 Since the early days of VR, we’ve heard…

[This interview with Ana Estarita-Guerrero provides some insights into the work of people who design immersive media art and experiences. It’s from Live Design, which among other things organizes the Live Design International (LDI) trade show and conference – “the Ultimate Sandbox for Live Event Gearheads, Creatives, and Innovators.” See the original version of the interview for three more images and the Live Design and LDI Show websites for much more information. –Matthew] Q&A: Ana Estarita-Guerrero, Immersive Media Designer & Technologist And LDI Speaker By Hannah KinnersleyOctober 24, 2024 Ana Estarita-Guerrero is a leading figure in the world of immersive…

[The story below from I Advance Senior Care provides details from a new industry report on the status and impact of virtual reality in senior care, along with comments from the CEO of the company that produced the report. A press release that includes a link to request a copy of the free 24 page report is available from the Rendever website. –Matthew] New Report Examines the Impact of Virtual Reality in Senior Care By Paige CerulliOctober 28, 2024 Technology use is evolving rapidly in the senior care industry with new advancements allowing for innovative technology applications. The use of…

[The author of this thoughtful editorial essay in UploadVR highlights important ‘perils’ of presence-evoking virtual reality technology, which he describes as a “delivery mechanism for a paradigm shift in human behavior like the one which followed the printing press.” See the original version for a second image. –Matthew] VR Is Changing War & Sex, Why Are We Still Acting Like It Is Just A Game? By Ian HamiltonNovember 1, 2024 I’m tired of corporations contributing to the misunderstanding of virtual reality as they deploy branding tactics in place of genuine education. Apple and Meta employ marketing departments and vast legal…

[Participants in a study by student researchers at Utah Valley University (UVU) couldn’t distinguish real and deepfake video of political actors, as reported in this story from The Salt Lake Tribune. More details about the study are provided in an excerpt from coverage in Deseret News that follows below, including the fact that the deepfake video “was perceived as more knowledgeable, as more trustworthy, as more persuasive, and of better content quality.” For much more information including images and videos, see the UVU website. –Matthew] [Image: Hope Fager speaks as Utah Valley University students present a deepfake study, in Orem…

[Although it doesn’t use academic terminology, this CNN story reports that Microsoft wants its AI technology to evoke medium-as-social-actor presence in the company’s billion-plus users. Microsoft’s CEO says Copilot should be a “companion” with a “personality” and have a “warm tone and a distinct style, providing not only information but encouragement, feedback, and advice as you navigate life’s everyday challenges.” But he also says AI companions “should give us enough of a sense that they’re comfortable and fun and familiar to talk to, while still being separate and distant [from humans] … that boundary is how we form trust.” Finding…

[As it announced its Quest 3S mixed reality headset, a Meta blog post mentioned a potentially exciting new tool: “Anything your computer can do, our MR headset can do better—thanks to the magic of presence. And speaking of presence, we’re improving that, too. We’re working to bring photorealistic spaces into the metaverse, enabling a profound new way to be together in spaces that look and feel like you’re physically there—we call it Hyperscape.” The story below from Cointelegraph provides key details and links to a hands-on ZDNet report on the new tool; an entry in The Ghost Howls blog provides…

[This essay from The Baffler does a nice job describing the sense of presence people experience in virtual reality despite the relatively low perceptual realism the medium provides, and arguing that the worse our reality gets, the more appealing an escape into even a perceptually inferior virtual one becomes. This is only an abridged version of the much longer essay – see the original for more observations, including on the history of VR. See also an apparently related essay in MIXED, in which the author argues that “VR games like Gorilla Tag, Yeeps, and I am Cat seem like the…