[In non-pandemic presence news, researchers at Stanford have developed a new system for augmented reality that makes virtual objects appear more solid, as reported in this story from IEEE Spectrum. For more information including images and a video, see the website of the study’s lead author, Brooke Krajancich. And in an at-least-peripherally related development, an international group of researchers has developed “a learning-based approach for removing unwanted obstructions, such as window reflections, fence occlusions or raindrops, from a short sequence of images captured by a moving camera” – for full details and impressive demonstrations see the project’s website; for a…

[Even if virtual meetings could fully replicate nonmediated communication they wouldn’t solve the many problems with human interactions, but as this story in The New York Times explains, the reduced experience of presence in meetings via video conferencing can amplify gender and personality-based inequities. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Shannon May] It’s Not Just You: Virtual Meetings Aren’t All That Great Overlapping chatter. Interruptions. Gaffes on camera. And for women, possibly not being heard at all. By Alisha Haridasani Gupta April 14, 2020 “Everything that we think is going to be an equalizer turns out not to be.” — Deborah Tannen, professor…

[There are still significant practical and technical issues to resolve, but this story from IEEE Spectrum explains why virtual reality will increasingly provide rich social presence experiences superior to today’s commonly used video conferencing systems (e.g., Zoom). See the original story for a second image. –Matthew] [Image: Virtual meeting on the Engage platform. Credit: Immersive VR Education] Forget Video Conferencing—Host Your Next Meeting in VR Recent advances have made VR the superior technology for conferences and meetings, some experts claim By Edd Gent 13 April 2020 With workers confined to their homes by the coronavirus pandemic, video conferencing is providing…

[While Zoom and other video conferencing tools provide social presence during the pandemic, stationary webcams and drone footage let us leave our homes and experience the now mostly-empty spaces of the world. This short story from Washington, D.C.’s WTOP highlights some of the “virtual escapes” that have become more popular in these strange days (the original version includes a brief audio news report). For more examples that include photos and videos see: As world quarantines, webcams and satellites quietly watch (AccuWeather) What the world looks like on lockdown: Webcams at popular tourist spots (OZY) Visit the Grand Canyon, Eiffel Tower…

[Another activity now only available in mediated form is yoga classes; this first person story from SFGate describes the (presence) experience it offers. See the original story for six more images and a video, and see a story in The Spaces for a picture and link filled “peek inside some of the world’s most striking yoga studios” offering virtual classes.  –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Madeline Wells] I tried virtual yoga. Here’s why it may be better than the real thing By Madeline Wells, SFGATE March 21, 2020 A few months ago, I finally caved into purchasing a membership at a small…

[The tragedy of the Coronavirus pandemic is accelerating some of the major changes in how people live, work and play that many who design, create and study presence-evoking technologies have predicted and propelled. This link-filled story from The Guardian focuses on some of these changes in the arts and culture sector. See the original story for two more images and a video. –Matthew] [Image: A view of an online gallery from Art Basel. Credit: Art Basel] ‘Beginning of a new era’: How culture went virtual in the face of crisis The rise of Covid-19 has forced cultural institutions to explore…

[ABC’s Good Morning America reports on how a California teen used TikTok to share her home celebration of her high school prom and then expanded the idea to a public virtual prom event. See the original story for four different pictures and five videos. For more information see a (pay walled) story in the San Francisco Chronicle and these related stories: Teen Vogue creates virtual prom for students staying home (Adweek) How high schoolers are planning online prom parties amid Coronavirus (Time) Ellen DeGeneres is asking high-school students to share photos of their prom outfits to make up for their…

[Virtual reality and presence are playing an important role in helping the medical community fight the pandemic, as reported in this story from TechRepublic (where the original includes a 7:24 minute video); for more on the Oxford Medical Simulation system see coverage in The Guardian, and for more on how immersive technology companies are helping, see a story in Forbes. –Matthew] [Image: Two doctors talk with a patient in this animated training image. Credit: Oxford Medical Simulation] 17,000 doctors and nurses training for COVID-19 pandemic using VR technology By Todd R. Weiss in Innovation April 2, 2020 Oxford Medical Simulation…

[BBT University in Tokyo used telepresence robots and Zoom to produce a virtual graduation ceremony for its students, as reported in this story from Business Insider (based on a report from the University). Coverage in LADbible adds this detail: “The novel and innovative ceremony was the idea of Professor Shugo Yanaka, Dean of Global Business Administration at the university. He said: ‘While new coronavirus measures are required, the introduction of avatars can realise a warm online graduation ceremony. We hope this initiative will be helpful to educational institutions who are having difficulty holding graduation ceremonies and entrance ceremonies.’” Interesting Engineering’s…

[This is a short, uplifting story about an effort to evoke social presence at a couple’s wedding ceremony while practicing social distancing. It’s from WSBT TV (Atlanta) via WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, Ohio) via CNN; see the WSBT website for a 2:03 minute video news report and for more details read a story in The Herald-Palladium. –Matthew] [Image: Source: The Herald-Palladium] Couple replaces wedding guests with cardboard cutouts due to coronavirus April 2, 2020 DOWAGIAC, Mich. (WSBT/CNN) – A Michigan groom got creative for his church wedding during the coronavirus pandemic, commissioning cardboard cutouts of guests, so his wife wouldn’t have to…

[There isn’t a single overview story (yet) about the many efforts to continue to provide the comfort and therapeutic value of in-person interactions with dogs (and other pets) in a mediated format during the pandemic, but this story from the Winnipeg Free Press is a good, and heartwarming, example. Here’s a key quote: “It was like a regular real visit, but just through the phone. They (the [seniors home] residents) were just ecstatic. … They were talking to him as if he were actually here. They were just enthralled with the fact they could still see Mark-Cuss for a visit.”…

[This story from the BBC features thoughtful reflections on the nature of actual and virtual travel in and beyond the era of the pandemic. See the original for three more pictures. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: mustafagull/Getty Images] With most of the world homebound, it’s time to reflect on what it actually means to travel – and whether it’s possible to travel without, well, travelling. By Toby Skinner 31 March 2020 Against a backdrop of whistling wind and heavy breathing, a man with a Germanic accent is yelling at me: “Take your time!”. I try to focus on the ascender clips on…