[A computer scientist and a biologist are using presence to teach users about insects and environmental conservation; some of the details are in this press release from EurekAlert!. More information is in their article in Rethinking Ecology, and see the project’s Patreon page for a 2:21 minute video (also available via YouTube; an earlier 1:30 minute YouTube video is also available). –Matthew] Living room conservation: Gaming & virtual reality for insect and ecosystem conservation Players explore and search for butterflies using knowledge gained through gameplay News Release 18-Apr-2019 Pensoft Publishers Gaming and virtual reality (VR) could bridge the gap between…

[As this report from the TED2019 blog makes clear, immersive platforms that don’t rely on isolating headsets have important advantages in the creation of (social) presence experiences. The original story includes more images and  for more information Axios has a concise summary, GeekWire has a detailed story about a new interactive, haptic-enhanced game for the Holodome as well as an earlier report on the platform’s debut in Seattle, and a 1:00 minute video that includes viewer reactions is available via YouTube. –Matthew] [Image: Step up close to, and almost into, the work of Monet, a favorite artist of Vulcan founder…

[Here’s another example of the potential of presence to enrich and expand education. The story is from the Waco Tribune-Herald, where it includes two more images. For more information see an earlier story in Baylor’s Instant Impact and Amanda Gardner’s website. –Matthew] [Image: Baylor graduate student Amanda Gardner puts on the virtual reality goggles to experience a film shot in the Armstrong Browning Library’s salon room, a recreation of the living room of poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Credit: Rod Aydelotte.] Baylor virtual reality project puts viewers in Victorian poets’ living room By Carl Hoover April 11, 2019 Baylor…

[The VR installation described in this story from de zeen offers a version of an otherwise unavailable experience that offers new perspective, actual and metaphorical. If you’ll be in London before April 25, consider visiting. The original story includes more images. –Matthew] Antony Gormley’s Lunatick invites Londoners to moon walk Augusta Pownall April 15, 2019 Artist Antony Gormley has teamed up with astrophysicist Priya Natarajan on a virtual-reality experience that allows users to walk on a digital version of the moon created using data from NASA. The 15-minute immersive experience sees visitors don a virtual-reality (VR) headset to travel from…

[This recent Wired story from the magazine’s founding editor is a thoughtful and thought-provoking perspective on the evolution of technology that explains how and why presence illusions will increasingly occur via augmented reality, creating both important benefits and potential costs. The original version of the story is extremely long so it’s abridged here, but see the original for more information and detail. –Matthew] AR Will Spark the Next Big Tech Platform—Call it Mirrorworld Kevin Kelly February 12, 2019 EVERY DECEMBER, ADAM Savage—star of the TV show MythBusters—releases a video reviewing his “favorite things” from the previous year. In 2018, one…

[An increasingly important positive application of presence-evoking technology is described in this story from Irish Tech News; a related 2:43 minute video story from BBC’s Newsbeat, “Virtual reality to stop bullying: Tech tested in schools,” features interviews with the creators and young users of a new app created by the Open University “to get children to think about prejudiced attitudes towards people from different backgrounds.” –Matthew] Zeeko Develops Novel Virtual Reality Training Lesson for Primary School Children to Address Issue of Bullying Irish Tech News February 5, 2019 Zeeko, an Irish EdTech company, in its 2018 Trend Report, which involved…

[I missed this BBC story from January about efforts to create presence illusions in space (!). See the original version for four different images, and see the ALE 1:17 minute concept video in coverage from Science Alert, which also notes that “the trend of sending frivolous objects to space seems to be gaining traction in a worrying way. A year ago it was a mirrored “disco” ball, launched quietly from New Zealand to orbit Earth for a few months. Another artist sent a giant shiny thing called the Orbital Reflector into space in December. China wants an artificial moon to…

[Aside from being a provocative and intriguing idea, the Simulation Hypothesis represents the ultimate example of presence, and the latest analogy for the nature of the universe (following a watch or clock, a steam engine, and others). This interview with Rizwan Virk about his new book on the subject is from Digital Trends (where it includes 4 other images); see his zenentrepreneur blog for more information. Variety also has a story on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of “The Matrix” that presents Virk’s list of “The Top 5 Virtual/Simulated Characters and How They Foretold the Future.” –Matthew] Are we…

[Here’s another very positive application of presence. The story is from Seattle Children’s, where the original includes more images; note the link at the end to a 2:32 minute demonstration video. –Matthew] Doctor Creates Virtual Reality Simulation to Save Babies’ Lives April 1, 2019 Lindsay Kurs Wanting to do something different to address the alarmingly high number of newborn deaths in low income countries, Dr. Rachel Umoren, a neonatologist at Seattle Children’s, turned to virtual reality (VR). As mobile phone-based VR programs became increasingly accessible, Umoren thought the emerging technology could offer a better way to equip health care providers…

[A biometric meditation tool that uses VR/AR and presence to reduce anxiety and stress is receiving a lot of attention. See the original version of this VR Fitness Insider story for a 4:11 minute video and a second image. Coverage in Haptic.al cites studies in Frontiers in Psychology and the Journal of Neuroregulation that “showed Healium reduced moderate anxiety and increased feelings of positivity in as little as four minutes.” And a story in Startland profiles company founder and CEO Sarah Hill and what led her to develop Healium; it also notes that “StoryUP has partnered with 28 airlines —…

[MediaPost reports on OmniVirt’s new 3D Photo format that evokes a subtle presence effect – follow the first link in the story for the 3D version of the ‘Pet Sematary’ ad and see the 3D Photo Creator for more examples and to create your own photos for ads and FB posts. For more information on Facebook 3D photos see coverage in Tom’s Guide. –Matthew] OmniVirt’s Creepy 3D Banner Ad For ‘Pet Sematary’: Mangy Cat Keeps Watching You! by P.J. Bednarski April 4, 2019 When Stephen King’s spooky “Pet Sematary” film (a remake of the 1989 version) opens on Friday, you…

[Virtual reality and the sense of spatial and especially social presence that it can create is ideal for immersive language learning, as explored in this story from the Los Angeles Times; see the original version for two more pictures. –Matthew] [Image: Immerse is a virtual reality language-learning tutoring platform that launched in February. It currently focuses on helping companies in Taiwan teach Mandarin-speaking employees English but has plans to expand. Credit: Photo courtesy of Immerse.] Believing virtual reality is a promising tool for learning languages, companies, colleges invest By Ada Tseng April 3, 2019 When Quinn Taber was growing up…