[This story from Highsnobiety includes interesting comparisons of the real and virtual versions of clubbing (“the boundaries between URL and IRL [are getting] increasingly pixelated”); the original story includes two more images and a 1:15 interactive preview video (which viewed on YouTube leads to other full-length videos). –Matthew] Is Virtual Reality the Future of Clubbing? By Bianca Giulione April 11, 2017 Since its creation in 2011, Boiler Room has become nearly synonymous with underground dance music. Often a rite of passage for musicians and enthusiasts alike, it has invariably changed the way dance music is consumed. Having been to my…

[Some of the coverage of this new Disney patent application for soft robots at its theme parks, which are sure to evoke medium-as-social-actor presence, refers playfully to the HBO series Westworld. This story is from the Orlando Sentinel; see also earlier information from Disney Research. The patent application is available from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. –Matthew] [Image: Source: The Kingdom Insider] Disney seeks new patent for soft robots playing characters Paul Brinkmann April 7, 2017 Soft-body robots could someday be roaming Disney theme parks, playing animated, humanoid movie characters and interacting with visitors. A new patent application by…

[Technology is being used to create and recreate all kinds of experiences; this story from New Atlas is about how Ford has recreated the sleep-inducing experience of a car ride home for babies (much of the coverage asks about an adult version!). The original story includes a gallery of 14 images and a 1:39 minute video; the press release is available from Ford; and coverage by Engadget mentions a related product: “The Snoo smart sleeper mimics the sounds of a mother’s womb while keeping a baby from rolling over into a dangerous position. It also has built-in microphones so you…

[This story from the CBC describes a study of the effects of seeing oneself on screen during a video conference; although not discussed directly, presence logically plays a role in the distraction effect that such images, which aren’t available during face-to-face communication, seem to create for technology users. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Dado Ruvic/Reuters] How a sticky note could make you more productive at work Seeing yourself on-screen during a video conference can distract from the job at hand By Dan Misener, CBC Radio technology columnist Apr 04, 2017 Video chat apps like Skype and FaceTime make it easy to connect…

[Here’s another (somewhat surprising) application area for presence… This story is from USA Today, where it features two more images. –Matthew] [Image: Using VR glasses to visualize finances. (Photo: Amy Sussman, AP Images for Intuit Quickbooks)] Doing your bills is painful. Virtual reality could make it less so Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY Published April 5, 2017 NEW YORK—You stare into the bathroom mirror while shaving and ask aloud, “Who owes me money?” A moment later a graph appears on the surface of the mirror revealing the people or companies that owe you, or your small business, the loot.…

[The new virtual safari experience for PlayStation VR described in this short story from Push Square is a good example of how presence can give us vivid experiences we normally wouldn’t be able to have and change our perceptions of the world in the process; in the more detailed press release at PR Newswire, our colleague Jeremy Bailenson “predict[s] this project will be a huge success in motivating people to learn more about nature and ecosystems.” The Push Square story includes a 4:40 minute video of gameplay and a 3:00 minute video introduction is available on the Virry VR website.…

[Aside from the very positive applications of presence it discusses, I like this story from Australia’s ABC because it brings together presence that results from mediated environments (VR) and social technologies (robots). The original story includes a 1:16 minute video and more pictures. –Matthew] [Image: Colin Farmer plays rock, scissors, paper with Alice the robot. ABC News: Rebecca Turner] Dementia patients using robots, virtual reality to engage By Rebecca Turner Sun April 2, 2017 High-tech tools, like humanoid robots and virtual reality are transforming the lives of people living in Australian dementia care facilities. The technology — used to engage,…

[This story from BC News discusses a variety of potential benefits of adapting literature for new presence-evoking technologies. The original version includes two more images and a 3:45 minute video. For more information see joycestick.com. –Matthew] ‘Grand and preposterous’ Can gamification help you learn about ‘Ulysses’? BC’s ‘Joycestick’ team is keen to find out By Sean Smith | University Communications January 17, 2017 A literary critic once asserted that the characters in James Joyce’s Ulysses – the sprawling, modernist opus that has bewitched or bedeviled readers for decades – were not fictitious: Through them, Stuart Gilbert said, Joyce achieved “a…

[Note the many references to types of presence in this story from techdigg about an app that immerses users in historical events. See the Kickstarter page for much more information, including videos, and to donate. –Matthew] Timebound: New App Travels Back in Time to Relive History as It Happened By Kevin Ott March 20, 2017 Some ideas are so brilliant, yet so simple, that it’s almost frustrating to learn about them. “Why didn’t I think of that?” is usually the first thought. The new app Timebound, estimated to be available for iOS and Android as soon as May 2017, has…

[Echoing the excellent series Humans, the latest advanced sex doll includes a broader set of AI-based behaviors. The first story below, from LADbible, describes Sergi Santos’ creation; the second story, from MIC, considers some of the many ethical issues it (she?) raises. See the Synthiea Amatus website for much more information including images and videos.  –Matthew] Meet The AI Robot Who Can Switch Between ‘Family’ And ‘Sexy’ Michael Minay in MORE March 20, 2017 Meet Silicon Samantha. An artificial intelligence robot who has a functioning G-Sport and can switch between ‘family’ and ‘sexy’ mode. She’s been revealed to the world…

[This is a good example of the movement toward presence-evoking formats in media campaigns, in this case for fire safety. The story is from StopPress, where it includes two videos and more images. More information and pictures are available in a story from NZ TechBlog, which includes this additional detail: “People are prompted to enter their address when commencing the Escape My House VR activity. Once they reach the end and have made it out of the house safely onto the street, they will be confronted with an image of their own home burning down in front of them, pulled…

[I highly recommend watching the 24 second viral video available in this short Huffington Post story. For more internet reactions see coverage in NDTV. And for more items like this, please join us in the (free and public) ISPR Presence Community Facebook group. –Matthew] Young Girl Mistakes Water Heater For A Robot And It’s Adorable “I wuv you wobot.” By David Moye March 27, 2017 It’s an age-old story: Girl meets water heater, thinks it’s a robot and falls in love. Actually, it’s not that age-old ― it’s the basic plot of a YouTube video called, “Rayna meets a ‘robot’”…