[All kinds of interesting presence experiences are available in Tribeca Immersive programming at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. This overview is from The Villager, where the story includes more images. –Matthew] [Image: The Tribeca Film Festival will have an early look at the recently announced “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” game. Image courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival] Tangible and social: Virtual reality at Tribeca Immersive April 18, 2018 By Charles Battersby The stereotype of Virtual Reality (VR) is an isolated person sitting alone in a room, their head sealed within a helmet, master of a lonesome utopia. Early efforts at…

[This interesting story reinforces the importance of medium-as-social-actor presence today and into the future. It’s from Politico and unlike a lot of the coverage of the issue isn’t sensationalized or simplistic; see the original version for more images. –Matthew] Europe divided over robot ‘personhood’ In letter to Commission, 156 experts from 14 countries warn against adopting EU Parliament proposal. By Janosch Delcker April 11, 2018; Updated April 13, 2018 BERLIN — Think lawsuits involving humans are tricky? Try taking an intelligent robot to court. While autonomous robots with humanlike, all-encompassing capabilities are still decades away, European lawmakers, legal experts and…

[The ambitious project described in this story from The Verge uses technology to preserve historical sites so that we’ll be able to experience them via presence in the future. The original story includes more pictures . –Matthew] Google will help preserve endangered historical sites in virtual reality Google is partnering with 3D laser-scanning nonprofit CyArk to build VR representations of world wonders By Nick Statt Apr 16, 2018 Google has partnered with 3D laser scanning nonprofit CyArk to help preserve historical sites around the world that are at risk of irreversible damage or total erasure due to human conflict and…

[The combination of biometric technologies, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and multi-view screen technology could lead to seamless, personalized signs, essentially augmented reality without glasses or goggles. This story from Computerworld is by consistently interesting author Mike Elgan. –Matthew] When every public screen is your personal screen Augmented reality without glasses or goggles? It’s called ‘parallel reality,’ and it’s coming soon. By Mike Elgan, Contributing Columnist, Computerworld April 14, 2018 One screen, one user. But what happens when any screen can serve hundreds of users? In Steven Spielberg’s 2002 sci-fi movie, Minority Report, billboards could display customized ads that addressed each…

[A presence-evoking technology for an overlooked population is the focus of a satirical new prosocial campaign in Australia. This story is from B&T; follow the link at the end for more information including images and a video. –Matthew] Isobar’s Cat VR Powers Game-Changing Content For Australian Zoos By Hannah Cheale April 3, 2018 Isobar has proven its credentials as one of Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in AR/VR, launching the world’s first Cat VR on 1st April 2018, in partnership with Zoos Victoria and the RSPCA in Australia. Faced with alarming statistics around the environmental impact of domestic…

[The importance of realism and the potential of presence-evoking technology for learning and empathy are highlighted in this story from The Irish Times (where the original includes two additional images). –Matthew] [Image: The UN virtual-reality experience from the player’s perspective.] Irish firm in vanguard as 360° virtual reality is deployed in combat zones Content studio VRAI working with UN on project to help identify concealed bombs Ciara O’Brien April 12, 2018 The convoy of military vehicles makes its way slowly down a dusty road in Mogadishu. Scanning the road ahead, I am trying to figure out if that little disturbance in…

[This story from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) provides an overview of the promise and challenges of using VR and presence to treat pain and reduce addiction to opioids. The original version includes more images and a 5:16 minute video. See also a related story from Research News @Vanderbilt and a press release via Eurekalert! about an Ohio competition to find innovative ways of using technology to fight opioid addiction (both include videos). –Matthew] VR Gives Oregon Patients And Doctors An Alternative To Opioids Oregon’s largest health care providers see both promise and challenges in virtual reality as a non-opioid treatment for pain.…

[Researchers in Korea have created Fribo, a robot that uses medium-as-social actor presence to evoke a sense of social and spatial presence among a small group of people who each live alone. This story is from The Verge, where the original version includes a second image and a 6:01 minute video. –Matthew] Meet Fribo, a robot built for lonely young people Fribo encourages young people to text and call one another by sharing information on their daily activities By James Vincent Apr 5, 2018 The number of people living alone is on the rise in the US and other developed…

[A second survey of leaders in the augmented and virtual reality industries reveals some interesting trends, including the importance of user experience and increasing focus on collaborative and social experiences. This press release is from Perkins Coie LLP via Business Wire. For more information see the company’s (free) survey and infographic. –Matthew] Perkins Coie’s Second Augmented and Virtual Reality Survey Shows Continued Advancement and New Worries Investment is on the rise and more companies are going to market, leading to increased practical applications and heightened legal concerns March 20, 2018 PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With investment in augmented reality (AR) and…

[This story from SB Nation provides a first person account of using VR to experience the recent NCAA men’s basketball championship game and a balanced analysis of the limitations and promise of the technology (note the very solvable problems of spotty WiFi and lack of audio). The original story includes more images. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports] I watched the national championship in virtual reality and it was sports purgatory They say you can’t be in two places at once, and they’re right. By Charlotte Wilder Apr 3, 2018 MANHATTAN — You can’t be in two places at…

[Virtual reality has gotten more attention in the presence community but augmented reality has great potential to generate effective and useful presence illusions, as described in this story from Forbes. –Matthew] [Image: Instagram ‘filters’ like this headband have become a key part of the app’s popular Stories feature. Credit: Instagram] Six Ways Augmented Reality Will Matter Beyond Puppy Selfies Kathleen Chaykowski, Forbes Staff March 8, 2018 Augmented reality — mixing the physical world with digital elements — has gained traction among everyday smartphone users as a playful way to send selfies with puppy masks or silly effects like helium voice…

[Mozilla is releasing a new cross-platform, open source, privacy-friendly browser specifically for presence experiences. This story is from The Verge, and there’s a 0:48 minute video available from Mozilla’s Mixed Reality blog. See also the September 2017 ISPR Presence News post “VR Web Browsing Needs Revolution More Than Evolution.” –Matthew] There’s a new version of Firefox for virtual reality By Adi Robertson Apr 3, 2018 Mozilla has announced a new version of its Firefox browser for standalone virtual and augmented reality headsets. It’s called Firefox Reality, and Mozilla describes it as a cross-platform, open source, and privacy-friendly browser whose interface…