[This story from VentureBeat is about valuable applications of aerial telepresence; more details are on the Cape website and in coverage in Aviation Today, which includes this: “The U.S. government launched the [drone integration pilot program] because drones are a quickly expanding industry. Civilians and companies alike are embracing them and finding new uses every day. [Cape CEO] Rittler is confident that we’re on the cusp of a broader integration into the fabric of society. ‘I really think we’re at that point, kind of like when the smartphone first came out, everybody said ‘This will never be used in enterprise,’ he…

[The creators of a new Cinematic VR film are testing the limits and learning best production practices for transitioning the VR medium from short-form demos and games to long-form engaging narratives. This story is from Variety, where the original includes more images. –Matthew] Venice: Secret Location’s ‘The Great C’ Takes an Ambitious Stab at Long-Form VR By Janko Roettgers August 28, 2018 When the Venice Film Festival opens its doors this week, audiences will once again get to see a number of virtual reality (VR) titles. And anyone who has followed VR might notice a trend: Cinematic VR, as non-gaming…

[As the fall semester begins it’s a good time to read about how The University of North Carolina System is using VR and presence to “promote and facilitate college access” across all of its campuses. It notes their plans for the use of chatbots and expansion to all colleges in the state. Most of the press coverage is drawn from this more detailed press release from UNC. –Matthew] [Image: This still shot from a new virtual reality video compiled by the UNC System shows a class at N.C. State University. Source: News & Record.] UNC SYSTEM LAUNCHES FIRST-IN-NATION VIRTUAL REALITY…

[This case study report from the Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC) at the University of Liverpool describes a unique and potentially valuable application of presence-evoking technology to help people learn the warning signs that a dog is likely to bite them. The link at the end leads to a 1:19 minute video of a first-person interaction with a virtual dog. –Matthew] CASE STUDY: THE DOGS TRUST The Virtual Engineering Centre, in collaboration with Dogs Trust,  the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Infection and Global Health and Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, have created an immersive 3D environment to demonstrate the…

[Arizona State University is using virtual reality to teach biology lab courses, and considering expanding the use of the presence-evoking technology to other fields and eventually incorporating AI for individualized teaching. This story from azcentral has the details and highlights some of the advantages; more information is available in ASU Now and the Google AR & VR blog. –Matthew] [Image: Biological sciences student Victoria Quintana tries out a headset for a virtual-reality biology lab class during a trial run with Labster on the Tempe campus in June. Credit: Photo by Charlie Leight; Source:  ASU Now.] ASU online biology course allows…

[Presence field trip alert! The story from The Verge below provides a detailed description of Two Bit Circus, a new “micro-amusement park” opening in Los Angeles that uses a variety of technologies to evoke presence in “a tech-infused entertainment utopia wrapped in a circus-meets-Ready Player One aesthetic.” See the original story for lots of pictures and videos. –Matthew] HOW TWO BIT CIRCUS IS TURNING ITS 21ST CENTURY CARNIVAL INTO ONE GIANT GAME The ‘micro-amusement park’ combines VR, escape rooms, and carnival games to create a grand, playable adventure By Bryan Bishop August 22, 2018 Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales Throw…

[Much of the coverage (and many of the company and product names) include terrible puns, but the expiration of “the teledildonics patent” has serious implications for the phenomena, design and study of presence experiences related to sexuality. This story is from Motherboard, where the original includes additional images. Gizmodo has more information about the effects of the patent expiring on innovation, Wired covers security and privacy concerns (including “attackers manipulating partner match ups, [so that] people might be controlling devices that they don’t have the consent to control”), and Engadget has a first-person report on the experience of using teledildonic…

[I wish Cliff Nass could weigh in on the latest tests of the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) paradigm; this story from The Washington Post summarizes and provides links for intriguing recent work that explores how children and adults respond to robots. More information about the replication of the Asch conformity studies is available in the University of Plymouth press release and in coverage from The Verge and Gizmodo (which both specifically discuss CASA) and a critique is presented in The Next Web. –Matthew] Children can be swayed by robot peer pressure, study says By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Reporter August…

[This short story from Adweek describes a clever new use of augmented reality to evoke presence; see the original for the 1:04 minute video, and coverage in designboom for more information, the video and several more images. –Matthew] W+K Amsterdam’s AR App Can Turn a Vinyl Record Into a Mind-Bending Lava Lamp Agency launches LAVA platform with 11-track album By David Griner August 2, 2018 One of the most fascinating tech demos I saw at this year’s Cannes Lions was unfortunately also one I wasn’t allowed to talk about—until today. Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam has launched an augmented-reality platform that…

[This is an encouraging story about people using technology to create presence experiences that bring people together. It’s from Crosscut, where the original includes a second image and a 2:17 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: The “Machine to be Another” virtual reality environment creates experiences in which you can embody someone else. On the left, a participant is immersed in the first-person story being told in the video as a facilitator gently mimics the motions happening on screen. On the right, the video as seen through a VR headset. Credit: Still image from video by Aileen Imperial/KCTS 9)] Can virtual reality…

[In this story from Brit + Co the author reports on her experience using an Oculus Go meditation program; as you’d expect, spatial presence and presence as transportation and immersion play important roles. –Matthew] Why Virtual Reality Is a Game-Changer for My Meditation Practice Sarah Garone Aug 15, 2018 Virtual reality is cropping up everywhere, so it only makes sense that this immersive technology would eventually make a foray into meditation. But what’s it like to meditate with more than just your own consciousness to help you along? Is VR-assisted meditation distracting? Strange? Peaceful? When the folks at Oculus Go…

[In a very positive application of presence, virtual reality is being used to provide caregivers and family members a first-person experience of what it’s like to have Alzheimer’s disease, as reported in this story from the Chicago Tribune. See also the 2013 ISPR Presence News post “Virtual dementia experience for aged care workers.” –Matthew] [Image: Ann Brennan, director of volunteer services for Chicago Methodist Senior Services, puts a virtual reality headset on Amber Davis at Hartwell Place in Andersonville, as she prepares to go through a lab designed to help caregivers understand how it feels to live with dementia. Credit: Kristan…