[The Dark Ride Project is using modern presence-evoking technologies to preserve presence experiences evoked in the haunted house amusement rides of the past. This story is from TechnoBuffalo, where it includes more images and two videos; a press release is available from Hypergrid Business; and more details and 360 videos are available on the Project’s Indigogo page. –Matthew] Interview: Using VR to preserve the last remaining haunted house amusement rides By Jacob Kleinman August 21, 2016 Joel Zika is on a mission to preserve the last remaining haunted house amusement park rides before they disappear and he’s using virtual reality…

[A stand-alone, open source mixed reality headset from Intel and Microsoft is likely to speed the adoption of effective presence-evoking technology. This story is from MIT Technology Review, where it includes an additional image; a 7:35 minute video of the demo is on YouTube, and for more on Intel’s larger vision “for a fully connected world,” see coverage in PC Magazine. –Matthew] [Image: Depth sensors on the headset allow you to interact with things in a virtual world using your hands and fingers, or objects you are holding.] Intel and Microsoft Are Teaming Up to Make Virtual Reality Ubiquitous A…

[Neuromarketing using virtual and mixed reality is an important example of the promise and peril of presence; this story is from Motherboard, where the original includes three more images. –Matthew] How Companies Will Use VR and Read Your Brainwaves to Sell You More Stuff By David Silverberg, Contributor August 17, 2016 I’m passing through the front foyer of a major Chinese bank. I careen through well-lit hallways and teller booths, before sliding by some signage written in Cantonese. It’s as if I’m there, minus the tellers, customers, and sounds of a bustling financial institution. But the thing is, I’m not…

[This short item from The Verge notes the apparent appeal of performing mundane, repetitive tasks during presence experiences, and raises the provocative thought that actions in a mediated (‘virtual’) environment might be (or be feared to be) unknowingly used for teleoperation, i.e., to manipulate a corresponding nonmediated environment. The original story includes a 1:15 minute video. –Matthew] This VR window washing game will probably destroy the middle class By Adi Robertson on August 8, 2016 If you’ve read things like Ender’s Game, you probably know that every time you play a video game, there’s a small chance that it’s secretly some…

[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…