[Halloween presence! This story from MarTech Today describes a new use of augmented reality in movie theaters, and in particular a new “Halloween Experience” available until the holiday next week. See the original version of the story to watch the 0:45 minute video trailer. Other coverage notes that you can play at home if you download the Noovie Arcade app. For a related example of AR scariness, see a story from earlier this year in ScreenRant (or go directly to Abhishek Singh’s Twitter page). –Matthew] An AR Halloween pre-show invades movie theaters National Cinemedia started employing augmented reality in thousands…

[This first-person report on a new, life-size, interactive, intelligent assistant who appears in augmented reality and apparently evokes intense social presence experiences, is from Next Reality. The original story includes several images; a 1:43 minute video is available from Upload VR via YouTube; and a consideration of some of the practical and ethical implications of the new technology can be found in coverage from Daily Journal Online. –Matthew] I Met Magic Leap’s AI Assistant Mica & Saw the Future of Augmented Reality By Adario Strange October 12, 2018 Unlike VR, when you’re talking about augmented reality, describing what an experience…

[This quote in the story below from NME (where it includes several more pictures and videos) illustrates the power of presence in the context of music: “When we first tested this technology, we had people in research groups who might be big fans of Niall Horan, for example. We put these fans in a headset and one of them just fainted because she thought she was right next to him. That level of engagement where people really feel like they are present is amazing and that’s what really drives us.” –Matthew] [Image: Source: Music Ally] Virtual reality gigs are coming…

[The possibility that groups of humans around the world will be able to communicate and collaborate in real-time via wordless brain-to-brain interfaces raises the prospect of a new form of “social presence.” This story is from MIT Technology Review. –Matthew] The first “social network” of brains lets three people transmit thoughts to each other’s heads BrainNet allows collaborative problem-solving using direct brain-to-brain communication. by Emerging Technology from the arXiv September 29, 2018 The ability to send thoughts directly to another person’s brain is the stuff of science fiction. At least, it used to be. In recent years, physicists and neuroscientists…

[There are lots of stories out there about Magic Leap right now but this one from The Verge is a particularly vivid and useful first-person report and summary of the present and promising future of augmented and mixed reality. See the original for more pictures. –Matthew] Magic Leap’s conference teases the thrilling potential of what its hardware can’t yet provide A glimpse at what could one day be possible By Bryan Bishop October 16, 2018 Florida-based startup Magic Leap became infamous for hyping itself as a revolutionary company whose vision for augmented and mixed reality would transform the worlds of…

[New research provides more evidence of the power of virtual reality and presence to enhance empathy, affect behavior, and improve people’s lives. This story is from Stanford News, where it includes a 1:05 minute trailer for the “Becoming Homeless” VR experience. Read the new paper at PLOS ONE. –Matthew] [Image: Fernanda Herrera, left, watches as fellow student Hannah Mieczkowski navigates through the VR experience that begins with an eviction notice. Image credit: L.A. Cicero.] Virtual reality can help make people more compassionate compared to other media, new Stanford study finds Stanford researchers found that people who underwent a virtual reality…

[Digital Commerce 360 reports on how the Macy’s department store chain is using presence-evoking technologies to enhance customer experience, increase sales, reduce returns, and save space while increasing its offerings. For more information, see a press release via Business Wire, a CNBC interview with the CEO of Marxent Labs, an earlier story and video from Marxent, Marxent’s Products page, and a report in PYMNTS on both Macy’s and Walmart’s recent adoption of VR and AR. –Matthew] Virtual reality increases furniture AOV by 60% at Macy’s On the heels of a virtual reality furniture pilot, Macy’s adds augmented reality for furniture…

[This press release from ETH Zurich describes a promising new technology for evoking realistic haptic sensations that contribute to presence illusions. For more information watch a 1:58 minute video on YouTube and see the project’s web page (which features the full paper and a longer video). –Matthew] Ultra-light gloves let users “touch” virtual objects Scientists from ETH Zurich and EPFL have developed an ultra-light glove – weighing less than 8 grams – that enables users to feel and manipulate virtual objects. Their system provides extremely realistic haptic feedback and could run on a battery, allowing for unparalleled freedom of movement.…

[Presence-evoking technologies are changing traditional audio-visual media in interesting ways. Snapchat is experimenting with using augmented reality for both watching and responding to original interactive programming via mobile devices, as described in this story in Fast Company; see the original story for a 1:04 minute video and animated gifs. –Matthew] Snap is making whatever comes after TV Today the company is announcing new original programming that puts users inside the story. Is it prestige TV, social storytelling, or a whole new medium? October 10, 2018 By Mark Wilson I’m standing on a beach, and a group of beautiful twentysomethings gather…

[An interactive exhibit at the recent New York Comic Con “plung[ed] readers right in the narrative”; this story from Ad Age introduces a 3:43 minute video recorded at NYCC. Bleeding Cool has 14 images and a short video and The Verge provides more context regarding the innovations in and the popularity of audio books. –Matthew] [Image: Source: mementogorey on Deskgram; more here] AUDIBLE GETS ‘PENSIEVE’ WITH GIANT HARRY POTTER COMIC CON ACTIVATION An audio-visual experience that goes beyond the audiobook By Megan Graham October 09, 2018 To get people tuning in to audiobooks, Audible is yanking stories off the page…

[Thanks to the Mural Arts Philadelphia program, since 1984 the city has been home to over 3600 murals, the “World’s Largest Outdoor Art Gallery”; the new mural described in this story from Philly.com incorporates augmented reality and a soundtrack to tell an engaging story. See the original story for another picture and a 0:31 minute video. For more on public arts projects incorporating AR see the Mural Arts Philadelphia blog, and for more on the mission and history of the organization and the city’s murals see the Mural Arts Philadelphia website and coverage in the Huffington Post. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: David Swanson…