[Can, and should, presence-evoking technologies replace nonmediated field trips for learning about and appreciating nature? How can the technologies supplement direct exposure to the natural world? These questions are addressed in the story below from Science. –Matthew] [Image: Digital simulations are the latest stage in the evolution of human attempts to interpret biodiversity. Credits: (Illustration) V. Altounian/Science; (Photo) Jeff Pachoud/Staff/Getty Images] Digital nature: Are field trips a thing of the past? Douglas J. McCauley, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology and Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. Science  20 Oct 2017: Vol. 358, Issue…

[NASA and Google have launched a new presence experience; here’s a key quote from the NASA news release below: “More than anything, Access Mars offers a visceral impression of what it would be like to walk alongside [the rover] Curiosity, wandering through the lonely, red desert.” The original release includes more images and a 1:11 minute video; see related coverage at GeekWire. –Matthew] Take a Walk on Mars — in Your Own Living Room Oct. 19, 2017 When NASA scientists want to follow the path of the Curiosity rover on Mars, they can don a mixed-reality headset and virtually explore…

[This story from KQED highlights some of the challenges of establishing and telling stories with presence (even though it never uses the term). See the original version for 5 images and 3 videos. –Matthew] [Image: Lily Baldwin directing Amari Cheatom, Marni Wood on set of Through You, photo by Cameron Bertron. Source: San Francisco Dance Film Festival.] Is Virtual Reality the Future of Dance? By Carla Escoda October 16, 2017 Those who think virtual reality (VR) is solely the province of gamers, adventure-seekers, and simulation builders may be startled to see how dance-makers are employing the technology on screen. For…

[The new technology described in this story from PetaPixel represents another expansion of presence illusions in our lives (and toward traversing the uncanny valley) – note the predicted applications for Facebook near the end. To watch many examples of the technology in action see the Supplementary Materials page of the project’s website. –Matthew] This Tech Can Turn Portraits Into Photo-Realistic Videos of Facial Expressions Will Nicholls October 10, 2017 Researchers at Facebook and Tel Aviv University in Israel have teamed up to bring your selfies to “life.” Using a single still photo of a person’s face, their new technology is…

[Two interesting presence-related videos are highlighted in recent entries in Jason Kottke‘s excellent kottke.org blog. The details are below… –Matthew] Goodbye Uncanny Valley Oct 17, 2017 [Also see the comments posted with the video on Vimeo. –Matthew] For years, the idea of the uncanny valley has dominated computer graphics. Computers were powerful enough to produce real-ish looking people, places, or things but not quite powerful enough to make audiences believe they were actually real…to the point where they’re actually kind of creepy. In this excellent video essay, Alan Warburton argues that the uncanny valley is behind us and previews where…

[This story from Forbes describes how a technology created to evoke spatial presence is being used to train artificial intelligence and thereby make agents and robots more competent and able to more effectively evoke social and medium-as-social-actor presence. –Matthew] Virtual Reality is the Next Training Ground for Artificial Intelligence Simon Solotko , Contributor October 11, 2017 Virtual reality was imagined as a human simulation technology long before the most recent wave of innovation that brought us the Oculus RIFT and the wave of innovation that followed. Now, rendering high framerate graphics using multiple, stereoscopic points in virtual reality is matching…

[The Virtuali-Tee looks like a clever use of technology to evoke presence for education and enjoyment. The story below is from Wired, where it features a different image. See the Curiscope website for more information including a video, and the company’s blog for information about Operation Apex; the book “All About Virtual Reality” is available from Amazon UK (not the US site as of this writing). –Matthew] Take a peek inside your own body with this virtual reality app Curiscope’s Virtuali-Tee blends augmented and virtual reality to let people explore a human chest cavity through a T-shirt By Eleanor Peake…

[“If you give someone a healthy body in VR, will that help them recover their health?” Researchers at USC are investigating the potential of VR and presence to promote brain plasticity and recovery in stroke survivors, with encouraging early results. This story is from CNET; for more information including a 4:35 minute video see earlier coverage from USC News. –Matthew] VR could trick stroke victims’ brains toward recovery Researchers at the University of Southern California are examining how virtual reality could promote brain plasticity and recovery. By Abrar Al-Heeti October 15, 2017 Could virtual reality help stroke survivors regain motor…

[This piece from The Conversation describes a powerful presence experience (and uses the term) to highlight the differences between observing a story in “flat cinema” and living it in a genre of virtual reality called “reactive theatre.” The original version includes two videos. For more information see the Draw Me Close and Alice: The Virtual Reality Play websites. –Matthew] ‘A virtual mum put me to bed’: A view from the VR future of film September 19, 2017 Victoria Mapplebeck, Reader in Digital Arts, Royal Holloway I’ve just got back from the Venice Film Festival, which for the first time showcased an…

[This ZDNet story and the (free) detailed, interactive report it describes and links to make clear that a large percentage of workers do now, or would like to, work remotely, and highlight the role of presence technologies and experiences in increasing the benefits and reducing the drawbacks of telework. –Matthew] Companies that support remote work experience 25 percent lower employee turnover (and other findings) A new survey shows the pros and cons of a distributed workforce. By Greg Nichols for Robotics October 4, 2017 Employees are more loyal if they’re allowed to work remotely. That’s according to a new survey…

[An innovative new effort to bring static, black and white comics to VR is more evidence that presence does not require photorealism. This story from The Verge provides a quick summary and evaluation of the project. For more details see coverage in Rolling Stone; VR Scout, where the story notes that the creators “wanted to create that sense of presence that’s unique to VR”); and Road to VR, where the story features an 8:03 minute video. –Matthew] Square Enix shows off its vision for the future of comics with virtual reality And you can try it at NYCC by Michael…

[Note how the author of this story from The Verge about a new, promising effort to popularize virtual reality describes the strong sense of presence he experienced in a recent demo without actually using the term presence. The original version includes another image and a 1:46 minute video.  –Matthew] Hollywood and AMC theaters are betting on VR with Dreamscape Immersive Steven Spielberg, Hans Zimmer, and director Gore Verbinski get into the game by Bryan Bishop September 26, 2017 The notion that virtual reality is going to be the next great storytelling medium has run into some bumps along the way.…