[VR and presence are apparently effective not only for treating but for diagnosing a variety of mental conditions, as detailed in this story from Wired (see the original for two more images). –Matthew] [Image: The “mirror test” game used in Exeter University’s schizophrenia study, where a participant is asked to reproduce the movements of an on-screen avatar. Credit: EUROMOV.EU] Virtual Reality’s Latest Use? Diagnosing Mental Illness Mon Chandler January 15, 2019 Diagnosing psychiatric and neurological conditions is tricky. Physicians have long reported that diagnoses are fraught with complications and subtleties. Anywhere from 35 percent to 85 percent of mental health…

[This project, described in UConn Today, uses presence to accomplish an important goal, and develop guidelines for similar future efforts. See the original for an additional image. –Matthew] [Image: Ken Thompson, assistant professor-in-residence of game design, taking 3D Scans of Courtroom 600 in the Justizpalast in Nuremberg, Germany. Photo courtesy of Ken Thompson.] Reviving Holocaust History with Virtual Reality Jessica McBride – Office of the Vice President for Research January 9, 2019 UConn researchers are developing an immersive learning experience using virtual reality (VR) and game design to bring to life archival materials from the Nuremberg Trials. With the help…

[Science fiction is increasingly becoming reality, as in this story from Digital Times about the Teslasuit, which offers the prospect of particularly effective multi-sensory, customized presence experiences. See the original version for a different images and a 5:00 minute video; for a first-person report see a 5:35 minute CNET video via YouTube; and for more information see the Teslasuit website. –Matthew] The Teslasuit could turn Black Mirror’s terrifying ‘Playtest’ into a reality Felicia Miranda January 13, 2019 Black Mirror is a show that takes hypothetical looks into the future of modern tech. Usually with a dark twist, the scenarios you’ll…

[You have to watch the 2:20 minute trailer at the Holoride website (or on YouTube) to fully appreciate the potential of car-based presence experiences as envisioned by Audi and Disney. This story is from The Verge, where it includes different images. For more information see the Holoride and Audi websites. NOTE: I’ll be on my own trip for a few days, but ISPR Presence News will return next Tuesday (January 15). –Matthew] Audi and Disney Want To Spice Up Your Uber Ride With VR Blasting bad guys from the back seat of an E-Tron By Sean O’Kane January 7, 2019…

[Following a new University of Warwick study demonstrating our limited ability to detect digital manipulation of photographs, the story below from The Washington Post makes clear that the warnings about the dangers of increasingly realistic and easily-created deepfake videos were all too accurate. See the original story for two images, a 3:06 video report, and links to several related stories. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Philly.com] Fake-porn videos are being weaponized to harass and humiliate women: ‘Everybody is a potential target’ ‘Deepfake’ creators are making disturbingly realistic, computer-generated videos with photos taken from the Web, and ordinary women are suffering the damage…

[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…