[The practical and realistic illusion of smells may, or may not, eventually be part of our presence experiences. This story from NBC News provides a frank status report. –Matthew] [Image: Researchers at the Imagineering Institute in Malaysia use electricity, which they applied up the nose through electrodes, to stimulate nerves called olfactory receptors. Credit: Imagineering Institute.] ‘Digital smell’ technology could let us transmit odors in online chats “It’s not just about the smell. It is part of a whole, integrated virtual reality or augmented reality.” By Wynne Parry November 27, 2018 Having a video chat with a friend or colleague…

[Aside from just being very cool, the application of virtual reality described in this story from The Harvard Gazette is providing researchers with new insights and “experts and non-experts alike” with “awe moments.” See the original for a second image and an animated graphic. –Matthew] [Image: Wearing VR goggles Kim Arcand views a 3-D representation of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant at the YURT VR Cave at Brown. Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO; NASA/CXC/E.Jiang] Stepping inside a dead star Team uses detailed data to create a virtual-reality display of what’s left after explosion By Juan Siliezar, Harvard Staff Writer December 21, 2018 Cassiopeia…

[A potentially valuable application of presence-evoking technology is described in this story from the Center for Mind and Culture (CMAC); see the original version for more images and a 2:41 minute video (also available via Vimeo). For more information see coverage in PsyPost and the published study via APA PsycNET. –Matthew] Virtual Reality for Nightmare Disorder Nightmares may be a common nuisance, but, for those with Chronic Nightmare Disorder, they are a debilitating hurdle to daily life. Chronic Nightmares worsen depression and anxiety, and are particularly difficult for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Traumatic Brain Injuries.…

[This story from Next Reality describes what I think is a clever idea: Using augmented reality to create presence experiences of tourist sites – in this case Big Ben – while they’re under renovation (I wish it had been in place for the 600 year old Astronomical Clock in Prague that was being restored during the PRESENCE 2018 conference and is now back in service). See the original Next Reality story for animated gifs and a 13 second video of Snapchat’s Cat Lenses (also available via YouTube), and see a 21 second video of the Big Ben AR on YouTube.…

[The new virtual reality experience described in this story from Smithsonian sounds impressive; see the original story for two other images, and the Vive website (or YouTube) for a 4:50 minute video that includes many indirect references to presence as it describes the project. –Matthew] Step Into Claude Monet’s World With This Immersive VR Exploration of ‘Water Lilies’ New VR experience whisks participants from Paris museum to Impressionist’s Giverny garden and studio By Meilan Solly November 19, 2018 Visiting the Musée de l’Orangerie’s “Water Lilies” rooms—an oblong pair of galleries fitted with eight panoramic panels from Claude Monet’s seminal series—is…

[The creator of the new Lovot robot and his team have made a series of design choices likely to increase medium-as-social-actor presence, as described in this story from Bloomberg (where it includes two more pictures). Excerpts from coverage in The Verge and Quartz follow below and provide more details, and see the English version of the Lovot website for much more information. –Matthew] This New Japanese Robot Is Designed to Hack Your Emotion By Pavel Alpeyev December 18, 2018 With large attentive eyes and a plush body that’s warm to the touch, a new robot developed in Japan is designed…

[This opinion piece from The Next Web offers the kind of big picture perspective on presence that I find particularly interesting and important. The author makes logical if depressing predictions about how we will use and be impacted by presence-evoking technologies (she uses the term explicitly) in the year and years ahead. Note: This version is very lightly edited for typos. –Matthew] 2018’s political mess is a boon for VR escapism in 2019 By Alice Bonasio December 25, 2018 As the late screenwriting legend William Goldman famously said; “nobody knows anything” so predictions – especially about technology – always run…

[Here are three short stories about how people are using technology to celebrate Christmas virtually this year. I wish you all a wonderful, restorative Christmas and holiday season, mediated by technology and otherwise! –Matthew] [The first story, from Patch, is about a “virtual Santa sleigh ride” attraction in Chicago; for more details see ABC7 TV’s 3:37 minute news report. For coverage of other attractions see “Mindful of Amazon, malls take the Santa experience high-tech” in the Chicago Tribune.] [Image: Source: O The Places We Go, where you can watch the 1:23 minute sleigh ride video] Water Tower Place Debuts First…

[The story below is about a depressingly necessary application of presence-evoking technology; it’s from CBS News, where it includes a 3:56 minute video report from CBS Morning News. For more on STRIVR, see the company’s website. –Matthew] Companies use VR to train employees for hostage situations, robberies December 20, 2018 Virtual reality is often associated with video games. But well-known companies are now using it as a tool to train for potentially dangerous situations. Major companies like Walmart, Chipotle and Verizon are using VR to prepare employees for what they could see on the job. Verizon has more than 1,600…

[Presence as immersion and transportation are highlighted in this story about a new VR attraction; the original version from TimeOut Los Angeles includes several more images and a short video. For more on the development of the feature “The Blu: Deep Rescue” (and for a video trailer) see coverage in Variety, and for a 4:23 minute video report and a 9 minute podcast on the opening of the attraction see coverage from KTLA in Los Angeles. –Matthew] In the virtual reality Dreamscape, you literally walk through the screen of your own movie By Michael Juliano December 14 2018 You can play…

[This story from the Georgia Straight describes an interesting, and aptly named, music performance designed by two Canadian artists. For more information, including bios and a 1:43 minute video, see the venue’s website; even more details are available in coverage by The Source. –Matthew] Telepresence brings immersive virtual reality to concert setting by Alexander Varty December 12th, 2018 We can’t quite explain what you’re going to see if you go to Telepresence, an adventurous virtual-reality undertaking at the Western Front this weekend, but we can promise you this: it won’t be like anything you’ve seen before. The brainchild of media…

[Peter Jackson’s new WWI documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” illustrates the power of film to evoke several types of presence. The film’s website and trailer feature these three quotes from reviewers: “Heart-breaking immediacy,” “A deeply human experience,” and “A haunting and moving lesson in how to bring the past vividly alive.” The trailer text concludes with “Travel back in time to experience history with those who were actually there.” The story below from The New York Times describes how the film was created and includes more references to presence as well as five brief “before and after” clips. More information…