[The new “FaceTime Attention Correction” feature attempts to solve a long-standing impediment to social presence in video communication. This short summary is from The Verge; for more information and demonstration videos, see coverage in MacRumors and Apple Insider. Some authors explicitly note the benefits for presence: “[I]t really seems to make a huge difference in terms of providing a sense of ‘presence’ for FaceTime calls, which is one of the core values of the Apple chat feature overall.” (TechCrunch) “[I]t’s a safe bet this will be a well-received feature by the average FaceTime user out there. A feeling of connectedness…

[Escape your troubles at the new Esqapes Immersive Relaxation Center, opening Friday in Los Angeles. This short story is from TechTheLead, where it includes two more images; see the Esqapes website for much more information. –Matthew] Massage Center Uses Virtual Reality To Offer Customers ‘Immersive Relaxation’ By Betty Joita July 2, 2019 One of the reasons we’re so hooked on the idea of virtual reality is because it can take us places without us having to leave our living room and, since we can see the world from our armchair, it wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea to think that we…

[The saga of DeepNude is an unsettling example of the dangerous applications of the rapidly evolving technologies that evoke presence. This story from Motherboard describes the app and the stated reasons for its creation; as the update story linked at the beginning notes, the creator subsequently announced “that he’s killing the software, after viral backlash for the way it objectifies women,” but a second update story reports that “a small community of people is dedicated to reviving DeepNude.” Another example of the “Pandora’s Box” aspect of these developments is that the images mentioned in the editor’s note at the end…

[It doesn’t use the term entertainment-education but that’s the basis for the positive application of presence in this story from the Calgary Sun. More coverage is available from The Star, CityNews has a 1:58 minute video report, Oculus Go has a 0:30 trailer  and more information and images are available from the Thunder website. –Matthew] [Image: About 100 guests test out a new Blackfoot language and storytelling game created by MAMMOTH, a local augmented and virtual reality company. The guests attended the USAYÕs Thunder VR launch party on Monday, June 17. The virtual reality game teaches users Blackfoot language through…

[A new exhibit uses vehicles, props, and augmented reality to “bring to life”40 vehicles from fiction; a few of the details (and a 2:15 minute video) are in this short story from Next Reality and for more information see Microsoft’s website. A story in VR Focus describes an earlier exhibit that also incorporated the HoloLens. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Microsoft] Hollywood Exhibit Uses HoloLens to Transport Fans into the Worlds of ‘Back to the Future’ & Halo By Adario Strange May 24, 2019 The potential of augmented reality is often shown in science fiction movies, but a new exhibit marries the…

[This story from the Observer includes several interesting insights about the benefits and other aspects of presence experiences in the context of sexuality (a pity quote: “If watching pornography is like riding a bicycle, then being immersed in virtual erotica is like driving a Tesla in Ludicrous mode. A big difference.”). See the original version for two more images. –Matthew] [Image: Anna Petukhova created VRayu to provide adults with an opportunity to experience virtual reality in many forms. Credit: Brittain Ladd] VR & Sex: How This 27-Year-Old Created One of the Hottest Virtual Reality Franchises By Brittain Ladd June 26,…

[The Carnegie Mellon professor in this story from CMU says using a new technology that combines microscopy and virtual reality is “an immersive experience, just like you are sitting inside your data”; the new application of presence will allow doctors to better understand, prevent and treat disease. See the original story for a second image and a 2:06 minute video.–Matthew] [Image: Biological Sciences graduate student Brendan Gallagher views expansion microscopy data using virtual reality.] Microscopy And VR Illuminate New Ways To Prevent And Treat Disease June 13, 2019 A combined research team from Carnegie Mellon University and Benaroya Research Institute…

[As described in this story from UCI News, a team from the University of California, Irvine is working to improve the experience of telepresence robot users by incorporating AI to make the robot more autonomous; just as humans need not focus on every part of a complex but familiar task, the robot allows them to automate tasks. See the original story for a second image and a 3:53 minute demonstration video. –Matthew] [Image: CARL SR, a robot being optimized for classroom use, leads lab members (from left) Hirak Kashyap, Tiffany Hwu, Giselle Tian, Jeffrey Krichmar and Lara Mirzakhanian in a…

[A new study demonstrates the effectiveness of virtual reality (and presence) in motivating people to evacuate when a hurricane is approaching. This short story is from Reuters; more information including a 1:38 minute video is available from lead author Jase Bernhardt’s Hofstra University webpage and the research report is available from the American Meteorological Society. –Matthew] Virtual reality helps scare residents to flee looming storms, research says Kate Ryan June 21, 2019 NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Virtual reality simulations work better than traditional alerts in motivating people to evacuate ahead of hurricanes, research said on Friday, part of…

[Watch the quick demos at the beginning of the 5:02 minute video in this story from UW News to see the potential of the new Photo Wake Up algorithm for creating compelling presence experiences; as one of the creators notes at the end of the story, “It can’t do everything yet, but this is just the beginning.” See the original story for four animated gifs, and follow the links below for more information. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Kottke.org] Behind the magic: Making moving photos a reality Sarah McQuate, UW News June 11, 2019 People moving in and out of photographs used…

[The Columbus Dispatch report below describes a new program that uses VR and social presence to train medical residents in an important part of their job; see the original story for a second image, and see coverage from WBNS 10 for a 1:11 minute video news report. –Matthew] [Image: Douglas Danforth, the academic program director at Ohio State University’s College of Medicine explains a virtual reality program to residents. The program is being used to help residents get the medical history of patients who don’t speak English as a first language. Credit: Ellen Wagner/Dispatch] Virtual reality patients give Ohio State…

[Below are excerpts from a really interesting New York Times interview with Philosopher David Chalmers, first on the difference between intelligence and consciousness and how we can assess the status of an artificial intelligence, and then on the definition and nature of ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ reality. The full version of the interview includes additional intriguing insights. –Matthew] [Image: David Chalmers is a leading thinker on consciousness. Credit: Demetrius Freeman for The New York Times] ‘There’s Just No Doubt That It Will Change the World’: David Chalmers on V.R. and A.I. We will develop new worlds and beings with powers greater…