[The use of presence in the operating room was highlighted in a recent episode of the FOX TV medical drama “The Resident,” as reported by Next Reality. As I noted when I saw it and as the story notes, the technology wasn’t treated as novel or new, or even discussed by the characters. See the original story for six animated gifs from the episode, and see coverage in OnMSFT for a 2:05 minute video about the technology. –Matthew] [Image: From the video “Microsoft HoloLens 2: Partner Spotlight with Philips.” Source: OnMSFT] Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 Makes Primetime Debut on Fox TV Show…

[Here’s another story about a potentially valuable effect of virtual reality and presence in the area of health. The original story from Connecticut Public Radio includes two different pictures and a 4:21 audio version; for more information see the project’s website, which features a 1:57 minute video, and an earlier story from Yale. –Matthew] [Image: Space Cats, the minigame is one of our favorite features in #InviteOnlyVR. Earn extra lives to fend the hordes of robots with witty responses to misconceptions around #JUUL and attempts to pressure your hero to vape. InviteOnlyVR is FREE to play NOW on the @oculus…

[A project from MIT uses a sophisticated deepfake video presented in an immersive installation to illustrate the potential of the presence-evoking technology to not only alter our perception of current reality but to “rewrite” our understanding of past events, in this case the 1969 moon landing. As one of the project’s creators notes, “people have said history is written by the victors, or that history is fluid; but now, with deepfake technology, history is even more fragile.” The original version of the story below from Motherboard contains a different image and a 0:47 minute clip from the deepfake video. For…

[You may have seen the story (linked below) about Russian farmers testing the ability of VR and the presence illusions it creates to increase cows’ milk production (!). This story from The Conversation is a nice summary of what researchers know about when/if animals may experience, and enjoy, presence via human technologies. See the original version for a second image and a 0:57 second video. –Matthew] [Image: The grass may be greener in virtual reality, but you can’t eat it. Credit: Moscow Ministry of Agriculture and Food.] Virtual reality won’t make cows happier, but it might help us see them…

[While we usually focus on digital technologies that produce or supplement sensory inputs, glasses, hearing aids and even make-up are technologies designed to evoke presence illusions. Somehow that’s more clear with the “artificial skin” innovation described in this short story from The Asahi Shimbun. See the original for three more images, and see press releases from Kao here and here for more information including short videos. –Matthew] [Image: An ultra-fine fiber membrane can be applied to the face or elsewhere to keep skin moist. Credit: Kao Corp.] Japan cosmetics maker develops tech for spray-on ‘artificial skin’ By Toshihiko Katsuda /…

[As reported in Digital Trends, Amazon is adding emotional qualities to its virtual assistant Alexa’s voice (the Amazon blog post mentioned has more examples of ‘her’ new abilities). In separate news, Amazon is making it possible to interact with Alexa through more devices – as a post in the AWS blog notes, “customers can now cost-effectively build new categories of differentiated voice-enabled products such as light switches, thermostats, and small appliances. This allows consumers to talk directly to Alexa in new parts of their home, office, or hotel rooms for a truly ambient experience.” Both developments are likely to increase…

[Refinements in technology bring ever-more effective presence illusions. As this story from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) via EurekAlert! states, “The interactions of space, light, and shadow between a performer and their environment play a critical role in creating a sense of presence,” and a new Google system improves the realism of character lighting in film, TV, games, VR and AR. For more information see the 1:27 minute summary video mentioned and a second 5:00 minute technical video (both via YouTube), as well as coverage from Next Reality. The link to the SIGGRAPH paper is at the end of…

[NBC and Verizon are using 5G and other new technologies to enhance the presence experience of the 93rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as detailed in this press release via Business Insider. For more on the Parade see Macy’s websites here and here; for a story about how the Parade was first presented in 360 see a 2016 story from The Shorty Awards; and to experience the parade in 360 visit YouTube. –Matthew] NBC and Verizon use the power of 5G to reimagine Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® PRESS RELEASE GlobeNewswire November 18, 2019 What you need to know: First-ever Verizon 5G…

[I’m anxious to visit teamLab’s new Shanghai immersive digital art museum or the popular one in Tokyo. This short story from Forbes provides some details (and the original includes two more pictures) but to understand the immersive experience the collective offers, see some the many pictures in new as well as older coverage by designboom, the teamLab website and YouTube channel, and an interview with the founder from SmartShanghai. –Matthew] [Image: Wander through the Crystal World, teamLab, 2018, Interactive Installation of Light Sculpture, LED, Endless, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi. Credit: © TEAMLAB] TeamLab Is Opening Its Second Immersive Digital Art Museum In…

[Northwestern University reports on advances in haptic technology, with diverse applications in enhancing presence experiences; see the original story for four different images and a 2:50 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Northwestern University] ‘Epidermal VR’ Gives Technology a Human Touch Thin, flexible skin-interfaced system has applications in social interactions, prosthetics, telemedicine, and entertainment November 20, 2019 Amanda Morris Imagine holding hands with a loved one on the other side of the world. Or feeling a pat on the back from a teammate in the online game “Fortnite.” Northwestern University researchers have developed a new thin, wireless system that adds a…

[I considered not posting, or only excerpting, this Motherboard story because it contains sexual and disturbing content (so you’ve been warned), but I think it’s important for members of the presence community to be informed about the ways people are using technology to create all kinds of presence experiences, and the legal and ethical issues those uses are raising. See the original version of the story for six more images. –Matthew] [Image: A promotional image from Daz 3D’s website advertising its Genesis 3 human model. “We’ve improved the levels of detail on some of the most critical body parts including…

[The Denver Center for the Performing Arts has this report and interview about, and will sponsor, a new immersive theater production designed to evoke intriguing presence experiences. See the original version of this story for two more pictures and see the production’s website for more information including (in the FAQ section) a list of the neuroscience experts who served as advisers and consultants. –Matthew] David Byrne, Mala Gaonkar to open ‘Theater of the Mind’ in Denver with Off-Center Massive theatrical immersion will take the audience on a deep dive into the human brain November 7, 2019 By John Moore, Senior…