[There’s plenty of press coverage of events and announcements at this week’s F8 Facebook Developer Conference (see Wired on Facebook Spaces VR, The New York Times on AR, and The Guardian for 8 takeaways from the conference), but less attention has been given to the company’s work on brain-computer interfaces. This story is from The Verge, where it includes more images and a 0:15 minute video. –Matthew] How Facebook is taking mind reading from sci-fi to reality Regina Dugan: ‘This isn’t cocktail party talk.’ by Nick Statt Apr 20, 2017 The rumblings started months ago. Through a series of peculiar job…

[You will never, ever find me on this intense presence-evoking ride. The story below is from NJ.com, where it features a photo gallery and a 0:45 minute video; for more information see the Six Flags press release mentioned in the story as well as another one with information about other Six Flags VR rides. –Matthew] Six Flags announces new ‘extreme’ option for world-record ride By Rob Spahr | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com April 20, 2017 JACKSON – Thrill seekers will soon have the opportunity to test their nerves even more on the world’s tallest and fastest drop ride at…

[This story from Insurance & Risk presents some intriguing scenarios for the use of presence (though they also raise security, privacy and other concerns). For more, see the Bain & Company website for the new report “Digitalization in Insurance: The Multibillion Dollar Opportunity.” –Matthew] [Image: Source: Newmark Insurance] Virtual Reality Shaping the Future of General Insurance Virtual Reality (VR) could shape the future of general insurance says third party claims expert Peter Tomkins. 19 April ’17 “Traditionally, the biggest challenge insurers face is understanding risk. Modern technology has come a long way to address this need – insurers are now…

[This report from the UT Southwestern Medical Center Newsroom is about a study of yet another valuable application of telepresence. –Matthew] [Image: A remote-controlled robot equipped with tools to diagnose concussion sits on the sideline of a Northern Arizona football game. Research shows doctors can use these robots to assess potential head injuries with the same accuracy as on-site physicians.] ‘Doctor’ robot could help solve sports-concussion dilemma in rural America DALLAS – April 3, 2017 – From bustling cities to tiny farming communities, the bright lights of the local stadium are common beacons to the Friday night ritual of high…

[Aside from the main point about rethinking the Z-axis in designing presence experiences in VR, this report from DeveloperTech contains the noteworthy point made by an AMD VP that the ultimate goal is making the virtual indistinguishable from real life; a contrasting view is presented in an excerpt from a Medium contributor that follows below. –Matthew] [Image: Source: pysnnoticias.com] AMD: VR requires creators to ‘rethink the Z’ By Ryan Daws 13 April 2017 VR is coming of age, but it will suffer unless creators ‘rethink the Z’ and don’t let content of the past define content of the future. That…

[The backstory of an ambitious project to create a touring group presence experience is told in this article from Adweek, where it includes more images and a 2:04 minute video. For more information, including images and videos, see the Lockheed Martin Mars Experience website, the Lockheed Martin Generation Beyond press release, Framestone’s website for the project (with a 5 minute behind-the-scenes video), an UploadVR interview with Framestore CG Supervisor Theo Jones, and a 6:20 minute video of a demonstration of the Mars Experience bus ride from YouTube. –Matthew] The Inside Story of How McCann New York’s ‘Field Trip to Mars’…

[This new product lets you see, hear, talk to and play with (i.e., experience social presence with) your pet from anywhere in the world. The story is from Metro, where it includes more images and a video. A press release is available via PR Newswire, and more information is available from the product’s Indiegogo project website. –Matthew] This gadget lets you play fetch with your dog even when you’re at work Alice Sholl Monday 10 Apr 2017 The only one in the world who loves playing fetch more than you is your pupper. And sure, the novelty might wear off…

[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.…