[As with many presence-evoking creations, deepfake videos “often, particularly now, don’t have to be that compelling to still have an impact”; this story from The Washington Post is a comprehensive status report on the dangers of, and fight against, deepfakes. See the original version for different images and a 3:51 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg in a new deepfake video; see The Washington Post for details.] Top AI researchers race to detect ‘deepfake’ videos: ‘We are outgunned’ By Drew Harwell June 12, 2019 Top artificial-intelligence researchers across the country are racing to defuse an extraordinary political weapon: computer-generated…

[This Design Milk report on a new “VR arcade” in East London emphasizes the importance of the environment in which people experience presence. See the original story for a 17-image photo gallery, and for more information see the websites of OTHERWORLD and specialist investor Imbiba. –Matthew] East London’s OTHERWORLD Virtual Reality Arcade June 11, 2019 Posted by Kelly Beall; Photos by Mariell Lind Hansen If you’ve been in London recently you may have heard talk of OTHERWORLD, a unique virtual reality arcade located within a converted railway arch. The multi-sensory immersive concept from The Dream Corporation was designed by leading…

[A new paper by researchers at the Technical University of Munich examines the use of embodied AI in Psychiatry, Psychology, and Psychotherapy and highlights both the potential and the need for ethical guidelines and more research. Follow the link near the end for the full paper. –Matthew] [Image: Alena M. Buyx, Professor of Ethics in Medicine and Health Technologies at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in her office.] Robot therapists need rules Embodied AI in psychiatry: new technologies pose ethical questions May 15, 2019 Interactions with artificial intelligence (AI) will become an increasingly common aspect of our lives. A…

[This story from Forbes describes new uses of VR and presence in the presentation and experience of Broadway plays; follow the link at the end for both VR and 360 degree video versions of the At The Tonys Be More Chill VR Experience. For more on Sunday night’s Tony Awards see coverage from CBS News. –Matthew] [Image: The At The Tonys Be More Chill VR Experience is released in conjunction with the CBS special, At the Tonys.] Virtual Reality Comes To Broadway In A Big Way Jeryl Brunner, Contributor June 7, 2019 When one thinks of Broadway, chances are the…

[The company OPTOMA reports on the very positive use of its presence-evoking technology to replace real animals in Circus Roncalli; see the original story (or YouTube) for a 1:40 minute video. The BBC adds this background: “The idea came to the founder of Circus Roncalli, Bernhard Paul, when he was watching the NFL Super Bowl half-time show in 2018. During the performance, Justin Timberlake was seen singing alongside a hologram of the music legend Prince, who had passed away two years earlier. After the show, Bernhard Paul was determined to find a way to make the technique work within his…

[A new exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force near Dayton, Ohio uses augmented reality to help visitors experience and better understand some of the events of D-Day. This story is from the Dayton Daily News; for more information see the Museum’s website, which links to a vivid brochure and a 1:47 minute video, and the website of The American Legion, which includes information about a similar exhibit at the Airborne Museum in Ste. Mere-Eglise, France. For a related story, see “D-Day joy, hell for civilians told anew with virtual reality” in The Daily Standard.…

[Here’s a clever and potentially life-saving application of presence, as reported in The Washington Post. See the original story for a second picture and a 3:10 minute video (also available via YouTube) and see Built In for more on the use of robots in law enforcement. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: SRI International] One solution for keeping traffic stops from turning violent: A robot that separates police officers from drivers. The machine is designed cut down on confrontations between police officers and motorists by reducing the impact of racial bias. By Peter Holley May 14, 2019 For years, Reuben Brewer had been…

[The popular and widely-covered IKEA campaign described in this story from Decider is another example of our desire to feel connected to the characters of the mediated world, even when we only experience them through parasocial interaction and relationships. See the IKEA website for more information and an Adweek story for an interview with the advertising agency’s chief creative officer Eduardo Marques. –Matthew] IKEA Wants To Help You Recreate The ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Simpsons’ & ‘Friends’ Sets In Your Own Home By Michael Haskoor June 2, 2019 If you’re a die hard fan of a TV show, how far would you…

[A NASA-led team is exploring deep ocean environments via telepresence to prepare for exploring deep space the same way, as reported in this story from URI Today. Follow the link below for more information and to watch the project’s 24/7 live stream. –Matthew] [Image: The remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Hercules is launched from E/V Nautilus. Credit: Erin Ranney/Ocean Exploration Trust)] Ocean and space exploration blend at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography Posted on May 29, 2019 KINGSTON, R.I., — May 29, 2019 — Scientists with a NASA-led expedition are operating from the Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode…

[Here’s an update and first person report on the evolution of how fans experience sports, in this case basketball via VR. See the original version of the Fast Company story for three different images and a 1:01 minute video; see coverage in USA Today for an interview with Jay Jenyagram of Intel Sports; and see the Intel True VR (“Be There From Anywhere”) website for more information.–Matthew] I watched the NBA Playoffs in VR, and it’s going to change how you watch sports Intel’s push into VR sports has shifted from a tech-first approach to now being driven by making…

[This VentureBeat story describes how Volvo is using Varjo’s high-resolution HMDs to let car designers test drive real cars with virtual features: “With this kind of technology it will eventually be difficult for you to tell if you are sitting in a faux car in an office or in a real car in a parking lot or really driving a mountain road in the woods.” See the original version for more pictures. –Matthew] [Image: For safety, a passenger in the back seat can warn a driver in the front seat during Varjo’s testing. Credit: Varjo.] Varjo teams up with Volvo…

[This long but very interesting story from The Atlantic doesn’t use the term presence but the concept and phenomenon is at its center – note some of the interesting ways people in long-distance relationships are said to use communication technologies to feel both physically together and psychologically connected over distance. See the last two sentences for a nicely put summary of some key points, and see the original version of the story for additional material not included here. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Alessandra De Cristofaro] The New Long-Distance Relationship The same technological and economic developments that are pulling couples apart are…