[Inception VR looks like another promising step toward the widespread adoption of presence-evoking VR experiences; the story from Digital Trends includes different images and a 2:34 minute interactive video. –Matthew] This Company Wants to be the Netflix of Virtual Reality By Andy Boxall October 19, 2016 When you want to watch some great streaming video, where do you go? Netflix, perhaps? Amazon Video? There are fantastic original shows from both these titans. Now, what if you’d like a similar, quality video experience for your virtual reality headset? Sure, there are many apps out there that pull together some great, and…

[This is an interesting demonstration of presence and its potential; the story from Engadget includes a second picture, and more information about ALPS’ development and application of haptic technology is available from the company’s website. –Matthew] How about a nice hot cup of virtual tea? Haptics combined with heating and cooling elements deliver the feeling (if not the taste) of a cup of tea. Mat Smith 10.05.16 Electronics company ALPS tests (and manufactures) all kinds of things. But its virtual cup, made possible by haptic technology and heat transmission, is the electronics manufacturer at its weird best.…

[Halloween is a great context for refining intense presence experiences; this story is from IGN, where it includes more images and a 1:16 minute video. More details are available from The Washington Times, and the attraction’s website. –Matthew] The Repository: Universal Orlando’s New VR Horror Experience Scared Us Silly New theme park attraction proves VR isn’t just for videogames anymore. By Matt Cabral 7 October 2016 Spend a day at Universal Orlando’s two connected theme parks and you’ll likely be asked to don a pair of plastic 3D glasses. Whether going toe-to-tentacle with Doctor Octopus in The Amazing Adventures of…

[Here’s another (fun) example of VR moving toward becoming mainstream; the story is from Mashable, where it includes three different images; more details are available in a press release at /Film. –Matthew] [Image: Source: /Film] ‘The Simpsons’ celebrates 600th episode with virtual reality short By Adario Strange October 17, 2016 Not everyone is convinced that virtual reality is the future, but at least one beloved institution, The Simpsons, has hopped onto the VR train. In celebration of the series’ 600th episode, the show decided to offer its opening couch scene in VR using Google Cardboard, and the result is incredible.…

[The use of virtual reality (and presence) to evaluate job applicants as described in this story from Wired raises lots of important questions. The original story includes two more images, and more information is available from Lloyds Banking Group. –Matthew] [Image: This is an example of a virtual world in which the Lloyds graduates will be tested. Credit: Lloyds Banking Group] Your next interview could be in VR: Lloyds trials virtual tests for candidates Lloyds Banking Group is launching a scheme that uses VR headsets to put job applicants to the test in virtual situations By Victoria Woollaston 7 October…

[While Sony’s PlayStation VR debuts today (here‘s a review), another VR platform is in the works, as described in this story from Venture Beat; the original version includes two videos and two other images. A press release is available via Business Wire. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Modal VR] Nolan Bushnell’s Modal VR launches next-generation virtual reality platform for enterprises Dean Takahashi October 12, 2016 Nolan Bushnell, the cofounder of Atari and father of modern video games, is back with a new startup creating a virtual reality platform for enterprises. Modal VR enables companies to set up virtual reality experiences that are…

[Cliff Nass would have loved the work described in this PC Magazine story about cultural differences in social responses to robots. The original story includes more images. –Matthew] When Taking Robots Global, One Size Does Not Fit All Even robots can get lost in translation. PCMag talks to Dr. Selma Sabanovic about the challenges of taking them global. By Sophia Stuart October 2, 2016 Whether it’s robots that dance, robot coworkers, sociable trash cans, or therapeutic devices, Dr. Selma Sabanovic from Indiana University has seen it all. Dr. Sabanovic, an associate professor at the university’s School of Informatics and Computing,…

[This story from TechCrunch suggests interesting research questions about how different strategies and techniques can increase presence in a format part way between symbolic text and photo-realistic audio-video. The story includes a 1:30 minute video.–Matthew] Digital comics startup Madefire launches its first virtual reality app Posted October 10, 2016 by Anthony Ha When digital comics startup Madefire announced its latest funding round a few days ago, co-founder and CEO Ben Wolstenholme said the company was getting ready to move into virtual and augmented reality. He lived up to that promise in very short order, launching a preview app for Samsung’s…

[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…