[Planetariums are too often overlooked as a media technology capable of creating several types of presence, including social presence. Our colleague Tom Kwasnitschka makes the case in this story from Nature. For complimentary evidence, see coverage by Creators (including videos) of the recent Obscura Digital presentation ‘Chrysalis,’ the largest projection inside a geodesic dome, at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Creators] Planetariums — not just for kids Planetariums are not just for education, or even astronomy: they could display all sorts of data, if only scientists thought to use them, says Tom Kwasnitschka. 25 April 2017 Most…

[The Whole Story Project is an example of what could become an important trend, using presence experiences that augment our current reality to advocate for and bring about changes in that reality. The story is from Digital Trends, where it includes a 1:15 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Source: AdStasher] This Pokémon Go-style app lets you find virtual statues of historic women By Hillary Grigonis – May 3, 2017 Out of the 5,193 historic statues decorating street corners in the United States, only about 7.5 percent depict women, and excluding fictional characters, New York’s Central Park has zero ladies in bronze,…

[This story from ThinkProgress describes the origins and potential impacts of a VR documentary on a very serious topic, along with some of the design decisions used to shape the presence experiences of the viewer. For a first person report on the experience see coverage in Engadget, and for a report on other virtual and mixed reality experiences from Tribeca Immersive at the recent Tribeca Film Festival see coverage in CNET. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Engadget] Rape survivors’ stories told through virtual reality in new documentary Rape survivors, up close and personal. Jessica Goldstein, Culture Editor at ThinkProgress May 4, 2017…

[As this story from UA News notes, we’ll want future comparisons including with in-person sessions, but these results highlight the value of presence in a deeply emotional context. This sentence stands out: “In follow-up assessments, participants in the virtual reality group said they felt as if they were in a real room during the sessions, with real people who were going through similar experiences.” The original story includes three more images. –Matthew] Virtual Support Groups Help Grieving Spouses With Depression For older adults who can’t travel to attend a traditional grief support group, a virtual version may be the next…

[Omnipulse is another effort to not only add the sense of touch but increase the ‘haptic resolution’ of presence experiences; this story is from Road to VR, where it includes two short videos. –Matthew] This Pulsating ‘Haptic Skin’ is Somewhat Creepy, Mostly Awesome By Ben Lang May 9, 2017 Omnipulse is a new haptic technology out of Cornell’s Organic Robotics Lab which uses an array of embedded pneumatic actuators to create haptic feedback which feels quite ‘organic’ compared to the more ‘mechanical’ of many other haptic technologies out there. With the ability to form the flexible Omnipulse skin into arbitrary…

[The new real-time collaborative VR design system described in this story from Dezeen (which includes other images and a 1:27 minute video) allows people from anywhere to participate in VR or observe via AR; in coverage by Dexigner and elsewhere the collaboration is said to be “as if in the same room.” –Matthew] [Image: Source: YouTube] Seymourpowell demos VR software for collaboratively designing cars Rima Sabina Aouf May 8, 2017 London studio Seymourpowell‘s virtual-reality tool for automotive design allows people in various locations around the world to work together in real time. Debuted at last week’s London Motor Show, the…

[There are several interesting presence elements in this collaboration among a singer-songwriter, a graphic design lab and Nokia Bell Labs. The story is from New Scientist, where it includes two different images; for more information see the Raw Space Experience website and a press release at Rock Paper Scissors. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Axios] Augmented reality brings Beatie Wolfe’s new songs to life By Chelsea Whyte 5 May 2017 Can augmented reality bring ceremony back to the act of listening to an album? Singer-songwriter Beatie Wolfe certainly hopes so. At her latest album launch – from within an echoless room –…

[This story from Wired raises a host of important issues regarding the design and use of intense presence experiences. The original version includes an additional image and a 1:40 minute trailer for The Last Moments. –Matthew] [Image: A still from The Last Moments. The Dignitas nurse holds out the cup containing the lethal drug. Avril Furness] I ‘died’ in virtual reality at the assisted suicide clinic Dignitas The Last Moments experience simulates death in the Swiss clinic By Rowland Manthorpe 24 March 2017 Last week, I died in virtual reality. To be precise, I killed myself by consenting to an assisted…

[The new VR film of a Mount Everest climb described in this story is impressive because of the technical feat involved and the fact that it offers everyone an experience that’s extremely rare in nonmediated reality. Beyond that I think the fact that the creators didn’t want high production values because “If it had [felt] polished and produced, it would have felt inauthentic” is particularly noteworthy – higher resolution and seamless camera work and editing may not always produce greater presence. The story is from Fast Company, where it includes an additional image. –Matthew] How Sports Illustrated Made The First Live-Action…

[Here’s an extremely positive application of presence-evoking technology in medicine and science education. The story from The Stanford Daily describes the evolution of a tool that helps medical professionals and others understand the complexities and dynamics of the heart, and as indicated at the end, potentially other parts of the human body. Follow the pilot link for a 1:01 minute video. –Matthew] Virtual reality reveals the human heart in three dimensions May 2, 2017 Katie Gu Stanford Virtual Heart, a new initiative at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, employs immersive virtual reality (VR) technology to tackle previously unaddressed questions in science…

[This story from TechCrunch describes a novel form of mixed reality that apparently evokes very effective presence illusions. –Matthew] Nomadic wants to bring VR you can feel to your local movie theater Posted Mar 23, 2017 by Lucas Matney On the outskirts of the Bay Area, my Lyft driver jokingly asked me if I wanted to leave him my number in case I didn’t return from where I was headed. I would soon be descending a set of stairs into the basement of a newly built, largely empty office complex where I was going to try an “experimental virtual reality…

[Aside from being an interesting example of the pursuit of presence, this story from Queensland University of Technology News describes the potential of industry-academic partnerships. See Malcolm Burt’s YouTube channel for more information. –Matthew] QUT’s ‘amusement academic’ helps create world-first VR waterslide 27 April 2017 The ever-popular theme park waterslide is about to enter a new dimension thanks in part to a QUT academic who has become a world-leading expert in fun. Malcolm Burt, currently doing his PhD which seeks to define the elements required to deliver the ultimate virtual reality theme park ride, was asked by German waterslide company…