[It’s still early days of course, but the ability to create AI-driven reproductions of well-known TV characters, or living or deceased private individuals, raises all kinds of possibilities and ethical concerns. In addition to the link to a detailed related story about Eugenia Kuyda’s creation of a chatbot of her best friend after he died, the original version of this story from The Verge includes a different image and a 1:45 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Source: PSFK] Researchers resurrected Joey from Friends as a video chatbot No one told you life was gonna be this way by Casey Newton Oct…

[Presence scholars have emphasized virtual reality over augmented reality, but projects like the one described in this story from The Creators Project point to the potential of AR to evoke a meaningful altered perception of a place. See the original story for many more images. –Matthew] How Augmented Reality Is Fighting Cultural Erasure in East Harlem Beverly Bryan — Oct 23 2016 Culture and history are vital, though often invisible, parts of any community, but the Mi Querido Barrio (My Beloved Community) augmented reality tour, presented by New York City’s Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), showcases the many…

[Here’s a depressing example of the all-too-timely dark side of presence; it’s from Medium, where the story includes two screenshots from the QuiVr game. –Matthew] [Image: Source: The Verge] My First Virtual Reality Groping October 20, 2016 Jordan Belamire Last week I was groped in virtual reality — did you know that could happen? I didn’t, but now I’m all the wiser.…

[Aside from the further expansion of VR presence experiences, it’s interesting that the NBA learned that it had to incorporate elements of traditional broadcasting into its 360-degree live broadcasts to maintain viewer attention and interest. This story is from Fortune. –Matthew] Here’s How the NBA Is Stepping Up Its Virtual Reality Game by Jonathan Vanian October 20, 2016 The NBA is getting more serious with virtual reality. NBA Digital, a joint venture between Turner Sports and the NBA that manages the league’s online properties, said that it will broadcast one basketball game a week that viewers can watch in 360…

[Inception VR looks like another promising step toward the widespread adoption of presence-evoking VR experiences; the story from Digital Trends includes different images and a 2:34 minute interactive video. –Matthew] This Company Wants to be the Netflix of Virtual Reality By Andy Boxall October 19, 2016 When you want to watch some great streaming video, where do you go? Netflix, perhaps? Amazon Video? There are fantastic original shows from both these titans. Now, what if you’d like a similar, quality video experience for your virtual reality headset? Sure, there are many apps out there that pull together some great, and…

[This is an interesting demonstration of presence and its potential; the story from Engadget includes a second picture, and more information about ALPS’ development and application of haptic technology is available from the company’s website. –Matthew] How about a nice hot cup of virtual tea? Haptics combined with heating and cooling elements deliver the feeling (if not the taste) of a cup of tea. Mat Smith 10.05.16 Electronics company ALPS tests (and manufactures) all kinds of things. But its virtual cup, made possible by haptic technology and heat transmission, is the electronics manufacturer at its weird best.…

[Halloween is a great context for refining intense presence experiences; this story is from IGN, where it includes more images and a 1:16 minute video. More details are available from The Washington Times, and the attraction’s website. –Matthew] The Repository: Universal Orlando’s New VR Horror Experience Scared Us Silly New theme park attraction proves VR isn’t just for videogames anymore. By Matt Cabral 7 October 2016 Spend a day at Universal Orlando’s two connected theme parks and you’ll likely be asked to don a pair of plastic 3D glasses. Whether going toe-to-tentacle with Doctor Octopus in The Amazing Adventures of…

[Here’s another (fun) example of VR moving toward becoming mainstream; the story is from Mashable, where it includes three different images; more details are available in a press release at /Film. –Matthew] [Image: Source: /Film] ‘The Simpsons’ celebrates 600th episode with virtual reality short By Adario Strange October 17, 2016 Not everyone is convinced that virtual reality is the future, but at least one beloved institution, The Simpsons, has hopped onto the VR train. In celebration of the series’ 600th episode, the show decided to offer its opening couch scene in VR using Google Cardboard, and the result is incredible.…

[The use of virtual reality (and presence) to evaluate job applicants as described in this story from Wired raises lots of important questions. The original story includes two more images, and more information is available from Lloyds Banking Group. –Matthew] [Image: This is an example of a virtual world in which the Lloyds graduates will be tested. Credit: Lloyds Banking Group] Your next interview could be in VR: Lloyds trials virtual tests for candidates Lloyds Banking Group is launching a scheme that uses VR headsets to put job applicants to the test in virtual situations By Victoria Woollaston 7 October…

[While Sony’s PlayStation VR debuts today (here‘s a review), another VR platform is in the works, as described in this story from Venture Beat; the original version includes two videos and two other images. A press release is available via Business Wire. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Modal VR] Nolan Bushnell’s Modal VR launches next-generation virtual reality platform for enterprises Dean Takahashi October 12, 2016 Nolan Bushnell, the cofounder of Atari and father of modern video games, is back with a new startup creating a virtual reality platform for enterprises. Modal VR enables companies to set up virtual reality experiences that are…

[Cliff Nass would have loved the work described in this PC Magazine story about cultural differences in social responses to robots. The original story includes more images. –Matthew] When Taking Robots Global, One Size Does Not Fit All Even robots can get lost in translation. PCMag talks to Dr. Selma Sabanovic about the challenges of taking them global. By Sophia Stuart October 2, 2016 Whether it’s robots that dance, robot coworkers, sociable trash cans, or therapeutic devices, Dr. Selma Sabanovic from Indiana University has seen it all. Dr. Sabanovic, an associate professor at the university’s School of Informatics and Computing,…

[This story from TechCrunch suggests interesting research questions about how different strategies and techniques can increase presence in a format part way between symbolic text and photo-realistic audio-video. The story includes a 1:30 minute video.–Matthew] Digital comics startup Madefire launches its first virtual reality app Posted October 10, 2016 by Anthony Ha When digital comics startup Madefire announced its latest funding round a few days ago, co-founder and CEO Ben Wolstenholme said the company was getting ready to move into virtual and augmented reality. He lived up to that promise in very short order, launching a preview app for Samsung’s…