[Although scary, potentially dangerous incidents like the one described in this story from Kotaku are unusual, as one of the commenters on the original version of the story notes, it’s best to not leave lithium batteries including those in VR headsets charging when one is away. More safety advice can be found on the website of energy company ACE Battery. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Frankfort Volunteer Fire Department] Firefighters Investigating Explosion Caused By Meta Quest 3 In Maine Home The Frankfort fire department is warning owners of the ‘VR Goggles’ after footage shows debris flying and dogs in a panic By…

[The impacts of using presence-evoking technologies to recreate loved ones who have died are complex and poorly understood, even more so in the political context discussed in this story from BBC News. See the original version of the story for a second image. Two episodes of the CBS series Matlock recently explored some of the issues surrounding the “grief Bot” phenomenon in a compelling way; you can find (spoiler-filled) descriptions of “The Future is Nigh” and “Day One” on the Hidden Remote website. –Matthew] [Image: “The Special Military Operation has ended” and “Our heroes are coming home,” read the billboards…

[MIT researchers are creating a promising application of presence-evoking technologies that converts complex and difficult-to-interpret two-dimensional data to a “more intuitive and more understandable” three-dimensional version that better matches human perception. The original version of this story includes a 3:36 minute video (which is also available on YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Courtesy of the researchers] Augmented reality system could make medical ultrasounds easier to interpret MIT researchers have designed an ultrasound system that creates a real-time 3D representation of the object being imaged. By Anne Trafton, MIT NewsJune 10, 2026 Interpreting medical ultrasound images is a difficult task, requiring a…

[It’s a shame that war is often the motivation behind advances in presence-evoking technology. This story from United24 Media reports that a Ukrainian company has introduced a software feature that automatically turns two-dimensional building plans into three-dimensional models that can be navigated in virtual reality, allowing soldiers to practice assaults on the actual building. See the link in the last paragraph (or the ISPR Presence News post) to learn more about another company’s related software that lets users train to destroy enemy drones. –Matthew] [Image: A screenshot from Farsight Vision’s Floor Plan feature shows a 3D training environment used to…

[A robot developed over several years by a diverse team of relevant stakeholders including engineers, clinicians and patients, and now capable of both telepresence and semi-autonomous or autonomous operation, is being tested in a clinical trial. The story below from the University of Pisa provides details and context (see the original version for two more images). For more information visit these websites: clinicaltrials.gov, SoftBots Lab of the Italian Institute of Technology, and the Natural Machine Motion Initiative; a 4:22 minute video of the robot from Liguria Notizie is available on YouTube. –Matthew] Maugeri, the Italian Institute of Technology and the…

[An innovative “collaborative online international learning, or COIL” course in food science at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign uses a variety of presence-evoking and other technologies to provide students vivid and impactful experiences in international settings. Note this quote from UIUC professor Toni Gist: “Virtual reality allowed students to step into these environments and compare them directly to their own experiences in the U.S. That level of immersion creates a different kind of learning experience that moves beyond reading or watching something that isn’t interactive and reflective.” Follow the links within the story below, and the one to her YouTube…

[This story from PreventionWeb, a website of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, describes the use of presence-evoking technologies to help people visualize, understand the risk of, and begin to prepare to respond to, rare but dangerous flooding events in France. See the original version of the story for two more images, bios of the three authors, and a 10 minute video (also available on YouTube; the video is in French but you can read English subtitles by clicking on Settings Subtitles/CC Auto-translate English). –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Peter Scholl] Virtual reality for flood risk communication: Making rare events tangible…

[As generative AI and image editing software become more powerful, it’s increasingly difficult to separate the many “real” (original, camera-generated) and “fake” (computer generated or manipulated) images we encounter, which means that both presence and inverse presence are becoming more common. A new promotion for Skylum’s Luminar software provides a potentially powerful demonstration: The “Can you spot what’s real?” game has users earn points by accurately determining whether each in a series of images is “AI generated or a real photo.” A brief introduction to the game from Luminar on Instagram is below (see the original post for six different…

[This first-person report from LionhearTV via MSN describes the experience and user reactions to what sounds like an impressive VR concert film being shown in theaters around the world (in this case in Cubao, Metro Manila, the Philippines). See the original version of the story for six different images and a 1:42 minute video. For more details, see a review from AsiaOne and the LE SSERAFIM website; for more context on VR concert films by K-pop artists see a story in the Korea Herald. –Matthew] [Image: Source: The First Times] LE SSERAFIM VR concert at Gateway Cineplex delivers a stunning…

[The potential applications and benefits of brain-computer interfaces go far beyond presence, but most of them do involve overlooking the role of technology in perception (at least over time). This abridged version of a clear and balanced story about BCIs is from Bloomberg via the Japan Times, where the original includes two more images. Note especially the last two sections, about uses beyond medicine (including allowing consumers “to question AI chatbots with their thoughts and receive the answers through their headphones,” and soldiers to pilot drones with their thoughts), and the barriers to successful widespread adoption of the technology. –Matthew]…

[A virtual school founded in 2021 in South Florida offers all of its courses in virtual reality, as reported in this story from WPLG Local 10 in Miami. See the original version for a 2:56 minute video report. For more information and press coverage see the Optima Academy Online website; there’s also some relevant discussion on the homeschool subreddit. –Matthew] Virtual reality and AI are transforming the classroom experience in South Florida By Saira Anwer, ReporterMay 15, 2026 School is getting a high-tech makeover in South Florida, where students are stepping into virtual classrooms powered by artificial intelligence and virtual…

[Although it can be hard to detect (optical illusions provide a glimpse), it’s clear that we don’t perceive the reality around us directly, but a subjective version of it constructed by our senses and brain. Consistent with philosophy’s simulation argument that what we perceive as reality is likely a sophisticated computer simulation, the fascinating story below from Popular Mechanics via Yahoo! News uses a relatable presence metaphor, the logic of evolutionary game theory, and recent developments in the field of physics to argue for an “interface theory” of perception in which we can only experience the interface, not the complex…