[Complex ethical and other challenging issues related to medium-as-social-actor presence are raised in a new report from the Foundation for Responsible Robotics (FRR). This story is from The Guardian, where it features a 16:25 minute video; for more information see coverage by BBC News, which includes several links and a 1:46 audio clip. –Matthew] [Image: Catalan nanotechnology engineer Sergi Santos holds the head of Samantha, a sex doll packed with artificial intelligence providing her the capability to respond to different scenarios and verbal stimulus, in his house in Rubi, north of Barcelona, Spain, March 31, 2017. Source: REUTERS/Albert Gea] Sex…

[Queen’s Brian May is a VR innovator and the rock group has launched a new 3-song virtual concert film, as detailed in this short story from Digital Trends. Follow the VRTGO link for a preview and for more information (including two videos, one with May discussing his Owl VR kit, and a comment from Morton Heilig) see coverage from last year in Music Ally. And for even more, see a story in Creators about the earlier Bohemian Rhapsody Experience, available for IOS and Android.  –Matthew] Queen Will Rock You in Virtual Reality Concert Film ‘VR The Champions’ By Brad Jones…

[This story from StateTech is about another context in which presence is having important positive impacts. For more details see CDW’s expanded version and an earlier story in StateTech. –Matthew] 3 Ways Connected Courtrooms Enhance the Justice System Telepresence and collaboration tools don’t just streamline justice delivery, they also connect those in the system to families, bail options and more. By StateTech Staff June 28, 2017 Anytime deputies have a chance to avoid transporting an inmate from a jail cell to an external location, it may mean fewer risks for all involved. For instance, less contraband could be coming in.…

[This story from Yale News describes a project designed to evoke presence to help users better understand the poet John Ashbery and the inspiration for his work; for more information and the link to the website (when it launches July 1), see the project’s web page. –Matthew] [Image: Award-winning poet John Ashbery stands outside his Victorian home in this screenshot taken from a new Digital Humanities Lab project. John Ashbery’s “Nest” takes visitors on a virtual tour inside of his house, and invites them to “walk” through the spaces that the poet inhabits to learn about the objects that have…

[This thoughtful column by a marketer comes as Google has announced its first prototype of an ad format for virtual reality. The column is from Mumbrella and you can read about and see a demo of the VR ad on the Google Developers Blog. –Matthew] It’s not long now until we’re playing God! As marketers explore the potential of virtual and augmented reality worlds Shae Duncan asks whether enough thought has been given to the ethical aspects of the products, in a post which is part of the LinkedIn Agency Influencer program. By Shae Duncan, a business executive at Society…

[It’s early days, but there’s great potential for the use of presence by surgeons. This story is from New Scientist and for more information see the press release from Cambridge Consultants and coverage in MIT Technology Review and Forbes. –Matthew] Augmented reality goggles give surgeons X-ray vision By Matt Reynolds 11 May 2017 Augmented reality could soon let surgeons peer inside a patient’s body without needing to make a large incision, helping them to carry out keyhole surgery. By donning an augmented reality headset, a surgeon will see a virtual 3D map of a patient’s internal organs overlaid directly onto…

[Eye fatigue is a barrier to effective presence experiences and the research described in this news release from the Optical Society of America suggests a possible solution that shifts the operation of displays to match how humans see. –Matthew] [Image: The new display creates a 3D image using optical mapping. An OLED screen is divided into four subpanels that each create a 2D picture. The spatial multiplexing unit (SMU) shifts each of these images to different depths while aligning the centers of all of them with the viewing axis. Through the eyepiece, each image appears to be at different depth.…

[This press release from the Acoustical Society of America via EurekAlert! describes an intriguing project that integrates sophisticated visual and aural technologies to create a compelling place-based presence experience. For much more information including audio and video materials and a 15-slide presentation, see the project’s website. –Matthew] Seeing with your ears Novel acoustics project aims to improve virtual reality and explore ear shape effects on 3-D sound Acoustical Society of America WASHINGTON, D.C., June 25, 2017 — Paris’ Cathedral of Notre Dame has a ghost orchestra that is always performing, thanks to a sophisticated, multidisciplinary acoustics research project that will…

[Netflix is experimenting with interactive programming; here’s a key quote from the director of product innovation at Netflix: “The children’s programming space was a natural place for us to start since kids are eager to ‘play’ with their favorite characters and already inclined to tap, touch and swipe at screens. They also talk to their screens, as though the characters can hear them. Now, that conversation can be two-way.” This story is from The New York Times, where it features another image and the Netflix “Kids Interactive Adventure” trailer; for more details see coverage in The Verge. –Matthew] [Image: An…

[The debut of the 3D, interactive virtual tour of The Daily Show’s “Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library” exhibit which was only open for a few days in New York City is notable on its own and also as an example of what may become an important trend: the creation of virtual versions of limited term, limited access, non-mediated experiences so that many more people over long periods of time can have (a version of) the experience. This short story is from CNN, where the original includes a photo gallery and the 0:31 minute exhibit welcome video. A similarly short…

[This is a clever use of presence-evoking technology to create presence experiences; the story from CBC News – Manitoba includes three videos, including a CBC News report. For more information see the Flipside VR website and YouTube channel and the Bucko Comedy website. –Matthew] [Image: Lauren Cochrane (left) plays Genefur while Aaron Merke (right) plays 2B in the virtual reality created cartoon Super Secret Science Island. (Credit: Ronnie Abelada).] Virtual reality TV show created in Winnipeg on way to international convention ‘It’s just making an animation using your body, instantly,’ says actor By Teghan Beaudette, CBC News Posted: Jun 20, 2017…

[This story from Wired suggests an important advancement in the ability of technology to evoke presence; the original version includes two different images, and a press release is available from Varjo. –Matthew] [Image: Left, a virtual scene in a typical modern VR display; right, the same scene in Varjo’s high-resolution display. Source: Varjo via The Verge.] Has This Stealth Company Solved Vision-Quality VR? Eter Rubin June 19, 2017 When Urho Konttori handed me the VR headset, I almost laughed. The founder and CEO of some Finnish company I’d never heard of had just told me he and his team of…