[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…

[“Would you like a clone robot of yourself” or another person? Interesting Engineering reports on a Russian startup making it possible. Follow the links for more information about Robo-C, and for more on Russia and robots see recent coverage by BBC News. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Promobot website] Russian Firm Sells Autonomous Robot Clones of Real People The androids are both for professional and personal use. By Loukia Papadopoulos November 03, 2019 Russian startup Promobot is now selling autonomous robot clones of any real person. This is the key selling point of their robot called Robo-C as their website states: “Order…

[A new TimeRide attraction in Berlin recreates the fall of the Wall 30 years ago; the story below from The Local Germany via AFP, which includes more pictures and a 3:48 minute video, describes the VR-based experience and its purpose, using many presence-related terms. The Boston Globe adds that “tourists at Checkpoint Charlie can [also] wander through a vast panorama designed to evoke the city at the height of its division” and “[o]utside of Vilnius, Lithuania, for a modest price, visitors can experience a kind of Soviet-era theme park, an underground bunker complete with barking German shepherds. Apparently, you are handed a tattered coat,…

[Mashable reports on a 14-year-old’s clever invention that uses presence to improve auto safety by removing drivers’ blind spots; see the original version of the story for 2 short videos. More information is available from a press release via PR Newswire. –Matthew] Teen girl invents simple, yet innovative way to remove blind spots in cars By Sasha Lekach October 31, 2019 I’ll admit it: I’ve had a pedestrian enter the crosswalk without me immediately noticing because they were blocked by the right side of my car. But what if your car frame didn’t block your line of sight while driving?…

[A team at the National University of Singapore has developed a virtual reality game that incorporates heat, smell and touch in a novel way likely to evoke more intense and engaging presence experiences. The story below is from NUS News, where it features a different picture and a 1:54 minute video; more information including images and a second video is available at the CUTE Center website. –Matthew] NUS team creates interactive, multisensory VR game 14 October 2019 A team of researchers and developers from the Keio-NUS CUTE (Connective Ubiquitous Technology for Embodiments) Center at NUS has developed a novel mixed…

[A new app created at the University of Southern California augments 2D printed graphics with interactive 3D images to provide users a presence experience that more effectively communicates scientific data. This story from USC News is followed by an excerpt from subsequent coverage in USC’s Annenberg Media. A 1:33 minute demonstration video is available via YouTube and you can download the app (and soon the companion app for creators) here. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Courtesy of Tyler Ard and Arthur Toga] Augmented reality app adds interactive enhancements to scientific posters, presentations A new smartphone app created by USC scientists uses augmented…

[This story from Aeon describes new research that demonstrates changes in the brain when actors and others play a role. It’s not hard to read this from the conclusion and extend the logic to vivid, presence-evoking, mediated experiences: “By roleplaying or acting out the kind of person we would like to become, or merely by thinking about and spending time with people who embody the kind of attributes we would like to see in ourselves, we can find that our sense of self changes in desirable ways. ‘As each of us chooses who to befriend, who to model, and who…

[With echoes of The Lonesome Gal, here’s a fascinating modern example of parasocial interaction (social-actor-within-medium presence) from The New York Times. See the original story for 3 more pictures and 3 videos, and for more information listen to a 10 minute KCRW interview with the story’s author. –Matthew] What Does Having a Boyfriend Have to Do With Sleep? On YouTube, young men role-play as kindly romantic partners — all in service of a better night’s rest. By Kaitlyn Wylde October 2, 2019 Owen Dennis Riley, 17, has never had a girlfriend. But he plays a boyfriend to at least half…