[The promise of presence: Scientists, doctors and patients walking through a cancer cell, or blood vessel or other part of the body, is likely to have a variety of positive impacts; this story is from Mashable, where it features more images. –Matthew] [Image: A new project will let scientists step inside a cancer cell. Credit: UNSW.] Scientists can now explore cells in virtual reality By Ariel Bogle, Australia August 16, 2016 After generations of peering into a microscope to examine cells, scientists could simply stroll straight through one. Calling his project the “stuff of science fiction,” director of the 3D…

[This story from Rolling Stone (where it includes more images) is about how virtual reality and presence “[open] a private door into a very modern solution to a very old problem: how to have better sex.” –Matthew] How Virtual Reality ‘Sex Edutainment’ Is Revolutionizing Porn “Virtual Sexology” pairs an adult star with a sex therapist to bring Masters and Johnson techniques to the porn-enlightened public By John Gaudiosi August 5, 2016 For decades, porn has been blamed for creating unrealistic sexual expectations, and for some addicts, it’s impacted the ability to have healthy sexual relationships in the real world. Now…

[Soon we may be able to take virtual cross country bicycle rides from the comfort and safety of our home (or gym); note the comment in the fifth paragraph of this story from New Atlas (which features a 9:43 minute video) about the “feeling of actually being somewhere”; for more of Aaron Puzey’s observations on his DIY creation, see coverage in The Verge, and his CycleVR blog. –Matthew] [Image: Land’s End, the start line of the VR cycling tour.] The world’s first cross-country virtual reality cycling tour is underway Loz Blain August 11, 2016 One of the best ways to…

[Not only can you video chat with your pet, she can initiate the call (!), and note the unexpected use mentioned at the end of this story from Twin Cities Business via MinnPost. For more details see the PR Newswire press release, an earlier ISPR Presence News post and the PetChatz website (which includes images and videos). –Matthew] [Image: Source: YouTube] Yes, there’s a market for video-chatting with your dog By Sam Schaust | 04/07/16 In 2014, after raising nearly $2.5 million, Burnsville-based Anser Innovation brought the first version of PetChatz to market with a test launch. As a device…

[This story from MIT Technology Review highlights the perils of presence – its value to those who want to use technology to fool people for nefarious purposes. The original story includes different images, coverage in PC Magazine provides more details including the fact that the creators of this new AI were inspired by the famous Eliza bot, and a story in Forbes reports on a phishing competition between a human and the AI (the AI wins). –Matthew] [Image: Source: PC Magazine] This AI Will Craft Tweets That You’ll Never Know Are Spam Machine-learning software could be used as effective cybercriminal…

[It never uses the terms presence or telepresence, but this story from The Atlantic carefully considers the key issue in all presence phenomena: how technology mediates our experience. –Matthew] [Image: A man tests a Zeiss VR One virtual reality headset in Barcelona, in February 2016. Albert Gea / Reuters] The Quest For the Next Human-Computer Interface What will come after the touch screen? Adrienne LaFrance Jul 11, 2016 A computer keyboard, at its most reliable, is barely noticeable to the person using it. It is designed to be felt, heard, and mostly ignored. Once you’re comfortable with the thing, you…

[As this story from Fast Company illustrates, the rapid evolution of technology is creating many niche markets for VR and presence. The original story includes more images and two videos. –Matthew] Virtual Reality Is Coming For Weddings “Imagine you had a grandmother who couldn’t make it to the wedding for some reason—now she could, with 360-degree goggles.” Rina Raphael 07.15.16 Destination weddings can be fraught with guest-list politics. Do I have to invite my second cousin’s inappropriate girlfriend? I’m inviting my high school best friend, but only because I’m sure she’ll decline. But now, literally anyone can attend your wedding—virtually,…

[This is a great example of the use of both social presence and medium-as-social actor presence to improve people’s lives. The story is from IEEE Spectrum, where it includes more images and the mentioned 2:16 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: SAM is a mobile telepresence platform that autonomously navigates from room to room in a nursing facility, allowing staff to check in on residents on a regular schedule. Credit: Evan Ackerman/IEEE Spectrum.] SAM Brings Much-Needed Robotic Assistance to Senior Living Facilities By Evan Ackerman August 2, 2016 Creating a successful robot company based around providing commercial services is not easy, although…

[Presence experiences can be enhanced when the mediating technology mimics human non-mediated perception. Foveated rendering allows this at least in part by using computer resources more efficiently. This story is from MIT Technology Review, and more information, including larger versions of these and other images and a 1:20 minute video, is available from NVIDIA. –Matthew] [Images: Sample image with no foveation (top) and with contrast-preserving foveation (bottom). Source: NVIDIA.] Nvidia’s Eye-Tracking Tech Could Revolutionize Virtual Reality A phenomenon first observed by Leonardo da Vinci is being used to make virtual images look more realistic. by Simon Parkin July 21, 2016…

[TV broadcasts with resolution 16 times full 1080p HD now have their own channel in Japan; this story from Tech Insider notes the limited but important contexts (including VR) in which this ‘Super Hi-Vision’ resolution will improve the viewing experience. For details on where to see the new channel’s offerings see NHK’s press release, and for an overview of the tech available for the Rio Olympics and likely to be available for the Tokyo 2020 games, see coverage in TechRadar. –Matthew] The world’s first 8K TV broadcasts are now live — here’s what that means for you Jeff Dunn August…

[To what extent and in what ways will the future of mediated experiences, and the presence they evoke, expand from aural and visual to the other senses? This interview with Imagineering Institute director Adrian Cheok in Asian Scientist (which includes a second image) considers some of the possibilities. –Matthew] Wake Up and Smell The Roses—Virtually You can now send tastes, smells and even kisses virtually. A new age of virtual reality involving all five senses is here, with Adrian Cheok of the Imagineering Institute at its forefront Daniel Soo August 1, 2016 Once the stuff of science fiction, virtual reality…

[This story from The Washington Post is about the use of technology to create both spatial and social presence for runners, including the idea near the end of a future in which “a million people [are] literally running, walking or crawling the virtual Boston Marathon on a global scale.” The original includes more images, related links and a 2:26 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: With Outside Interactive, runners log in to an app and pay for videos of routes, which they watch on their iPad or Android tablet or on an HD television. They can manually select the pace or sync…