[This story from The Wall Street Journal considers the prospects for videoconferencing via virtual reality and concludes with the question of whether mass adoption would decrease or increase face-to-face meetings. See the original story for several more images and a detailed infographic. –Matthew] [Image: Developers are working on virtual-reality systems that one day could replace videoconferencing as a common tool for business meetings. Photo: iStockphoto/Getty Images] Virtual Reality Takes On the Videoconference If meetings are held in virtual reality with avatars, will people feel more connected? By Cat Zakrzewski Sept. 18, 2016 Get ready for your next conference call—in virtual…

[Another early-days but promising application of presence-evoking technology involves putting users ‘inside’ a city’s or nation’s technology infrastructure to maintain equipment and diagnose (and hopefully repair) problems; this story is from Fortune, where the original includes a 2:23 minute video. –Matthew] Virtual Reality Goes Electric Utility PG&E thinks VR technology may make inspecting equipment faster and safer. by Jonathan Vanian September 28, 2016 For an electric utility, a technical glitch could trigger a huge blackout, plunging entire cities into darkness. Typically such an event would require utility workers to scramble to a faraway substation. But what if they instead strap…

[Here’s an interesting perspective on the possibilities for presence-evoking technology from FedScoop. –Matthew] At DARPA, virtual reality is more than a toy Trung Tran, a program manager at DARPA, told an audience of virtual reality enthusiasts about the agency’s current goals, urging them to consider government partnership if they have big ideas. By Samantha Ehlinger September 27, 2016 For virtual reality to become more than another quick-to-fade fad like 3-D televisions or the overhyped Google Glass, it needs the type of careful nurturing that only government can give it through long-term developmental investments, a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program…

[This post from SAP Community Network provides a thoughtful consumer’s observations on prolonged in-home use of VR; it’ll be interesting to revisit these and others’ observations as presence technologies evolve. –Matthew] 3 months in Virtual Reality, what I learned so far… Posted by Patrick Willer on Sep 5, 2016 I can vividly remember my first VR experience. It was 25 years ago! It was early 1990s. I was a teenager addicted to video games. When I wanted more sensation than my Game Boy could provide, there was only one option: the arcade hall. My favorite happy place took my pocket…

[This story from The Guardian highlights one of, if not the, most important applications of presence-evoking technology, the preservation of individual and cultural history. The original version includes an additional image and a 0:51 minute video; also see “Holocaust Survivor Experiences Her Own Rescue in Virtual Reality“ (which includes a video) in TIME. –Matthew] The virtual Holocaust survivor: How history gained new dimensions Pinchas Gutter survived a Nazi death camp – and now his story will live on through a hologram that can answer your questions Thomas McMullan 18 June 2016 Pinchas Gutter goes out of his way to find…

[Presence-evoking technology continues to advance toward the visions imagined in science fiction; note especially the possibilities for fully interactive videoconferencing and entertainment mentioned in this press release from the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute. –Matthew] [Image: Right in the middle of the action with VR glasses: A new camera system virtually represents people naturally and realistically. © Photo Fraunhofer HHI] Beam me up to the video conference When science fiction heroes communicate, they don‘t use landlines or cell phones. The caller simply appears in virtual form in the middle of the room; full sized and three dimensional. For…

[Now you can experience America’s controversial political campaign in virtual reality; this story is from Next Reality, where it includes more images and a 0:29 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Virtual avatars of Hillary and Trump nearly make physical contact in virtual space. Will this someday mirror reality? Via AltspaceVR] AltspaceVR’s Democracy Plaza Puts You in the Middle of the 2016 Election Adam Dachis September 22, 2016 Most of us don’t get the opportunity to see election coverage first hand, but with virtual reality, we’re not as restricted. AltspaceVR has teamed up with NBC News to let you log in on…

[As this story from ScreenCrush notes, there are many factors that can ‘break’ presence in a movie theater, including the lack of proper screen masking. –Matthew] A Small Issue at Movie Theaters Is Becoming a Major Problem Matt Singer | September 19, 2016 People texting on their phones. Exorbitant ticket prices. People talking on their phones. Sound that’s either way too loud or way too soft. People taking pictures of the screen with their phones and then posting them to Facebook in the middle of the film. Going to the movies in 2016 can be a frustrating situation. An experience…

[As the author of this piece in TreeHugger notes, mixed reality (and the presence experiences it provides) has great potential beyond the important application area of elevator maintenance and repair described here. The original story includes two videos and several more images; the press release is available from thyssenkrupp. –Matthew] [Image: © thyssenkrupp/ using hololens to look at elevator] It’s starting with elevators, but 3D tech like the Hololens will change the way we look at buildings Lloyd Alter September 16, 2016 This site has long been preoccupied with the future of work: how new technology is changing our jobs,…

[The idea of a bodysuit that enhances presence isn’t new, but this looks like a clever design; the story is from Digital Trends. See the Skinterface website for more information including videos. –Matthew] Full-body touch sensations in VR will likely need special suits like Skinterface By Kevin Parrish — September 14, 2016 Now that consumers have general access to high-quality VR content by way of the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, eye-tracking technology seems to be the next step in the evolution of VR. But what about touch input, as in feeling the virtual wind against your skin or…

[This story from Digital Trends suggests an evolution of VR toward deeper social presence experiences based on biometrics. See also the recent ISPR Presence News post about the Veeso headset, which uses cameras to measure facial expressions. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Road to VR] Emteq wants to track your facial and eye movements for emotional interaction in VR By Kevin Parrish — September 9, 2016 In June, a company called Emteq came out of stealth mode and revealed that it’s working on a solution that will enable emotional interaction within virtual reality. Right now we can interact with virtual objects, NPCs,…

[Those who design and study presence-evoking technologies can be surprised by how users react to and use them; this story is from MIT Technology Review, where it includes an additional image. –Matthew] [Image: Netflix’s app for Samsung’s Gear VR headset lets you watch movies and TV in a virtual living room.] What’s Popular in Virtual Reality’s 3-D World? Netflix and TV. More people care about movies and shows than immersive 3-D games. by Tom Simonite September 15, 2016 Companies such as Samsung and Facebook’s Oculus promote their virtual-reality headsets by highlighting awe-inspiring 3-D experiences for gaming and virtual travel. But…