[I think one of the most interesting uses of presence is the recreation of historical places and events, which comes with an obligation to do it accurately and sensitively; this story is from The Washington Post and more information is available from the Newseum’s website. –Matthew] [Image: Maria Bryk/Newseum] How virtual reality is about to take you to Pearl Harbor and the Berlin Wall By Brian Fung December 1, 2016 If you’re like most Americans, you probably learned about Pearl Harbor from a textbook or by watching a film about the surprise attack in 1941 against U.S. naval forces. But…

[To virtual and augmented reality we have to add substitutional reality, and as in this story from The Japan Times, consider its far-reaching implications. –Matthew] [Image: Riken researcher Naotaka Fujii (right) tests a ‘substitutional reality’ system that lets people experience how a prerecorded 360-degree video can be mixed into real-life surroundings. | Courtesy of RIKEN] Riken mind bender stays one step ahead of virtual reality By Ayako Mie, Staff Writer December 4, 2016 Imagine you are standing on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped bridge suspended 1,200 meters above the Colorado River. You are likely to get dizzy and freeze…

[The illusions provided by presence can apparently be the basis of effective treatment for phantom limb pain; this story is from Medical Xpress, where the original includes an additional image and a 2:16 minute video; a press release from The Lancet is available via EurekAlert! –Matthew] [Image: In the augmented reality environment, the patients can see themselves on a screen with a superimposed virtual arm, which is controlled by muscle signals from their arm stump. Credit: Ortiz-Catalan et al., The Lancet, 2016.] Phantom movements in augmented reality helps patients with intractable phantom limb pain December 1, 2016 Dr Max Ortiz…

[As this story from ChessBase says, playing chess against an online opponent on a 2D screen just isn’t the same as using a physical (“real”) chess set, and the creators of Square Off have developed an innovative presence-evoking alternative. The original story includes lots of pictures as well as the 3:06 minute Kickstarter video. –Matthew] World’s smartest chess board is here! by Sagar Shah October 13, 2016 How about sitting in the comfort of your living room and challenging a player anywhere in the world to play a game with you, on a “real chess set”? Sound’s impossible right! With the world’s…

[This story about a new production designed to evoke a greater sense of presence in historical events is from The Hollywood Reporter; the experiences are available at DiscoverVR.com and a press release is available via Broadway World. –Matthew] [Image: Chris Gordaneer/Courtesy of AHC Discovery’s American Heroes Channel Plans Virtual Reality Civil War Experience (Exclusive) The immersive segment takes an 1865 Confederate cadet dodging enemy fire in muddy trenches from 2D to 360 degrees. November 28, 2016 by Etan Vlessing The Discovery-owned American Heroes Channel is bringing the Civil War from 2D to 360 degrees with a virtual reality experience.…

[Perspective is key to effective presence illusions; this story is from Digital Trends, where it includes a 0:32 minute video and four more images. –Matthew] City VR Will Give You a Giant’s Perspective of the World’s Biggest Cities By Luke Dormehl September 30, 2016 Ever dreamed of getting your Godzilla or Stay Puft Marshmallow Man on and stalking through a city, towering high above its buildings? The founder of cutting-edge Silicon Valley virtual reality studio Amber Garage certainly did. As a kid, Botao Hu, aka Amber, fantasized about this scenario. Well, jump forward a decade and successful stints as a…

[This story from Psychology Today highlights some of the promise and especially the controversial perils of technologies that produce increasingly higher levels of presence. –Matthew] [Image: Debradacija/Shutterstock] Warped Reality What will it mean when millions of people play—and kill—in virtual reality? By Andrew Rosenblum, published on September 5, 2016 – last reviewed on November 25, 2016 It’s 1944. You’re an American G.I. on the Pacific island of Peleliu and a Japanese tank is creeping your way. You aim your bazooka and pull the trigger, sending the tank flying in a cloud of fire and molten steel. Somebody yells, “One down,…

[Drones with cameras can provide the user with a sense of spatial presence, but Robot Drone Man can also provide both the user and people who encounter the device with a sense of social presence. This story is from IEEE Spectrum, where it includes an additional image and a 0:55 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Ilhan Bae/KAIST] Behind the Music: How “Robot Drone Man” Built His Flying Avatar By Evan Ackerman Posted 7 Nov 2016 The most entertaining video we posted on Video Friday a couple weeks ago was almost certainly Robot Drone Man, a parody of this PPAP (Pen Pineapple…

[One of the reasons I think presence is so interesting and important is that it’s extending into nearly all of our activities, in this case an American holiday tradition. This story is from Digital Trends, where the original includes an interactive 1:36 minute behind-the-scenes video. Check out the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade website for more information. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Shinya Suzuki / Flickr] Turkey Day Tradition Gets Update: Macy’s Parade Adds 360 Broadcast, VR App By Hillary Grigonis — November 22, 2016 A Thanksgiving tradition is getting a modern upgrade — this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be broadcast…

[Technology is poised to provide doctors and patients with increasingly more compelling presence experiences of unborn babies; this press release is from the Radiological Society of North America via EurekAlert; more information, including additional pictures and two videos is available from the Daily Mail, and coverage from NBC raises some key concerns about how the new technology will be used. –Matthew] [Image: A 3-D virtual model MRI view of fetus at 26 weeks. Credit: Radiological Society Of North America.] Researchers generate 3-D virtual reality models of unborn babies Public Release: 21-Nov-2016 Source: Radiological Society of North America CHICAGO – Parents…

[Despite arguments about feasibility and the too-often unmentioned ethical issues it raises, the prospect of thought-based interactions with and in virtual environments is provocative. This story is from The Guardian, where it features another image and related links. –Matthew] [Image:  Brainwave-reading technology could eliminate the need for a controller when using a virtual reality headset. Photograph: Andre Kosters/EPA.] Virtual reality powered by … our minds? ’10 years from now, it will seem obvious’ EyeMynd wants to create a system in which thoughts, not handsets, will control our actions in virtual reality worlds Dan Raile in San Francisco Last modified on…

[Here’s a nice first-person report of an ambitious use of VR and presence; it’s from VR Scout, where it features lots more pictures. I’ve lightly edited it here to fix some typos. –Matthew] Jaguar Just Showed Us The Future of Car Launches The VR reveal for the company’s first-ever electric car blew our minds. by Jonathan Nafarrete November 14, 2016 During a press event at Milk Studios in Los Angeles Sunday night, Jaguar revealed the I-PACE, the company’s first-ever electric car. A competitor to the Tesla Model X, the I-PACE is a major foray for Jaguar into electric automotive transportation.…