[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…

[University of Toronto researchers are exploring how to design presence experiences to best support learning, as reported in this story from the University; for more about Michelle Lui and her work see her website and for more about Rhonda McEwen see her website and a 2018 story in The Medium. –Matthew] [Image: Researchers created a simulation that allows students to observe and interact with the gene regulation process. Credit: Courtesy of Faculty of Information] U of Toronto researchers explore virtual reality as a microbiology teaching aid November 15, 2019 Rekha Morbia Imagine being inside an E. coli bacterium, smaller than…

[This news release from Radboud University via EurekAlert! briefly describes a study that demonstrates the potential of VR and presence to provide time- and cost-effective life-saving training. The full article in JAMA Cardiology includes this additional detail: The Lifesaver VR app, experienced via VR goggles and headphones, presented a filmed scenario in which the user performs CPR on “a friend that collapsed during playing football. Chest compressions were practiced on a pillow. The app provided real-time feedback on chest compression rate, and instructions on chest compression depth” (Appendix 1). For more information and to download the Lifesaver VR app see…

[This story from Science describes what could become a revolutionary technology for presence-evoking displays; see the original version for a 0:49 minute video (a 5:39 minute Nature video is available on YouTube). More information is available in the University of Sussex news story, including these two quotes: “Project leader Sri Subramanian, Professor of Informatics at the University of Sussex and a Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies, said: ‘Our MATD system revolutionizes the concept of 3D display. It is not just that the content is visible to the naked eye and in all ways perceptually similar to a…

[New software for creating and sharing data-based 3D presentations is expanding to augmented reality, where users can collaboratively “experience” data in ways PowerPoint doesn’t allow. This story from Next Reality describes the basics and the original version includes animated gifs and a 1:01 minute video. For more information see new coverage in AR Insider, a story in Forbes from May 2019, the Flow Immersive website, and the company’s videos on Vimeo. –Matthew] Flow Immersive Launches Magic Leap Augmented Reality Data Slideshow App That Puts PowerPoint to Shame By Cristina Brooks November 14, 2019 Thanks to the expanding universe of augmented…

[Fordham University is using VR and the presence it evokes to teach business students with “learn by doing” experiences, and others are exploring different ways to apply presence to teaching and learning. See the original story in The Washington Post for a different picture and a 0:59 minute video. For more detailed information about the hybrid classroom of Project Chimera see a story in eLearningInside from May 2019. –Matthew] Fordham University business students have a new tool to prepare them for boardrooms: Virtual reality By Peter Holley November 12, 2019 Business schools are packed with courses devoted to high-tech entrepreneurship,…

[This story from DrexelNow describes an interesting application of VR and presence in the context of health; see the link to the study near the end and see the original story for two more pictures. –Matthew] Is Virtual Reality the Next Big Thing in Art Therapy? November 12, 2019 The ever-expanding field of virtual reality (VR) has been used in health care settings like physical rehabilitation. It’s also made its way into therapy settings to reduce phobias and delusions. Could creative arts therapies be the next frontier for VR? Researchers from Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions in…

[The astronauts aboard the International Space Station are using a new smaller high-quality 360 camera to record their experiences so that we can share them. Though the term isn’t used in this story from NASA, it’s all about presence. One interesting quote: “I think it is inevitable that VR is going to be the default way to document space exploration moving forwards. It is a perfect match between medium and story,” [Felix and Paul Studios co-founder and creative director Félix Lajeunesse] says. “Space exploration is something that you want to live. You want to be there. You want to experience…

[A new small study by researchers at Imperial College London explores the effectiveness of, and mechanisms involved in, using mediated experience to reduce (experimentally-induced) chronic pain. While many questions and much more research remain, watching a ‘non-interactive’ 360 video reduced pain sensitivity while a static image on a computer monitor did not. The original story contains the 7:07 minute National Geographic video “Polar Obsession 360” used in the study (also available via YouTube). The link to the article in Pain Reports is at the end of the story below. –Matthew] Immersion in virtual reality scenes of the Arctic helps to…

[The installation described in this story from The Sydney Morning Herald uses virtual reality and presence to cultivate the awareness of future possibilities as a way to understand and prevent suicide. For more information about Edge Of The Present see The Big Anxiety website and listen to a 28:52 minute episode of the ABC radio program All in The Mind about empathy for mental health through the arts. For more on the research component of the project see the Workshop Participant Call Out page of The Big Anxiety site. –Matthew] [Image: Future thinking: Michaela and Alex Davies in their installation…

[The use of technology to make it appear that iconic movie actor James Dean is alive and performing in a film 65 years after he died is getting covered widely in the press; the original report reproduced below is from The Hollywood Reporter, where it includes a 1:26 minute video. Other coverage notes related projects like Tupac’s hologram, a de-aged Robert DeNiro in The Irishman, the appearance of Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing in Star Wars films after their deaths, and Paul Walker’s posthumous appearance in Furious 7. Much of the reaction is negative, for example VICE’s headline: “CGI James…

[Researchers at Wayne State University are testing the effectiveness of augmented reality for the treatment of the fear of spiders and other objects, as described in this story from Next Reality (where it includes three gifs and a 0:58 minute video). For more information see a story from earlier this year in Counseling Today. –Matthew] HoloLens & Augmented Reality Spiders Used in Univ. Study to Treat Arachnophobia By Cristina Brooks November 5, 2019 Halloween may be finished, but the augmented reality chills are not over yet for some people. Arachnophobes are bravely facing their fears by cozying up to augmented…