[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…

[Note the vivid descriptions of presence experiences in this story from MobileHealthNews about a new effort to bring telehealth to television sets. A press release is also available from PR Newswire.–Matthew] AmWell, Cisco partner on TV-centered telehealth platform for seniors The companies pitched the upcoming service as a convenient in-home option for Medicare Advantage patients overwhelmed by digital apps. By Dave Muoio June 14, 2019 Seeking to better reach aging patients in their homes, telehealth company American Well has partnered with Cisco Systems on an upcoming effort to deliver virtual care through home television sets, the companies announced today at American…

[A multi-site art installation in New York this week shows how non-digital technologies can evoke strong and impactful presence experiences. This story is from CBS News where the original includes more pictures and video. West Side Rag reports that “A cage with what looked like a child inside was placed on the sidewalk on Central Park West and 81st Street on Wednesday morning — one of several such cages placed throughout the city. It was part of an installation by the nonprofit organization RAICES. And it surprised a lot of people who did not realize the bodies inside the cages…

[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.…