[No need to imagine what the game player will see – these clever people “injected an actor into a scene using VR” and then captured their performance; the story is from Ars Technica, where it includes the 3:50 minute explanatory video. See the studio’s blog for more information and images. –Matthew] Is this the world’s first full virtual-reality motion/voice capture session? Actors combine mo-cap suit, HTC Vive to become characters, see virtual teleprompters. by Sam Machkovech – Jan 13, 2016 Forget latex suits and white ping-pong balls. Motion-capture sessions for video games and films have only gotten more intense over…

[Research question: Are puppies cuter when you experience them in VR? This story from Popular Mechanics (where it features a different image) mentions a few interesting possible sporting event applications of VR as the technology evolves. For information on the different ways to see the Puppy Bowl players in VR see the Discovery website and for full details on the event, see the press release. –Matthew] [Image: Source: PCProactive] The Most Exciting (Dog-Related) Sporting Event Will Show Practices in VR Why would you watch the Super Bowl when you can strap on some Goggles and go hog wild at the…

[This news release from Nanyang Technological University highlights developments in robotics and artificial intelligence that help independently acting social robots and user-inhabited telepresence robots evoke presence. Pretty amazing, and progress is sure to continue… –Matthew] [Image: Prof Nadia Thalmann (left) posing beside Nadine. NTU-built EDGAR telepresence robot (right).] NTU scientists unveil social and telepresence robots Published on: 29-Dec-2015 Say hello to Nadine, a “receptionist” at Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore). She is friendly, and will greet you back. Next time you meet her, she will remember your name and your previous conversation with her. She looks almost like a human…

[It’s easy to forget that the pursuit of presence experiences has a very long history; the fascinating, if long, story below is from the Otago Daily News where it includes a 5 image photo gallery. –Matthew] [Image: A Magic Lantern Slide Lecture on St. Peter’s Basilica, 1897. An illustration from the December 1897 catalogue of T. H. McAllister Company, Manufacturing Opticians, New York. Source: Art History Resources.] In thrall of travelling stereopticon Tue, 5 Jan 2016 In The Lives of Colonial Objects, even the seemingly ordinary can offer exceptional insights into New Zealand’s cultural fabric. The following extract from the…

[vTime brings us yet closer to the goal of a practical, cross-platform, mobile-capable, real-time, immersive virtual social environment that effectively evokes spatial and social presence. This story is from Road to VR, where it features more images and a 1:07 minute promotional video; a separate Road to VR story includes an 18:29 minute interview inside vTime with the Product Development Director. –Matthew] First Look: ‘vTime’ is a “Sociable Network” for Mobile VR, Available Today on Gear VR By Scott Hayden Dec 21, 2015 Starship, a Liverpool-based digital entertainment studio, has today released vTime on the Gear VR store, the mobile…

[Can presence in virtual environments motivate us to return to the gym? Will machines like the Icaros come to dominate the gym of the future? This story is from Gizmag, where the original includes a 10 image photo gallery. –Matthew] Icaros fitness machine powers your workouts with virtual reality C.C. Weiss December 23, 2015 The idea of blending exercise with video games isn’t a new one. Nintendo got plenty of hype years ago with the Wii and offerings like Wii Fit, and there’ve been multiple other examples of virtual-physical exercise equipment, such as the Pro-Form Le Tour de France Indoor…

[If presence can produce even a subset of the benefits of nonmediated nature it could be immensely valuable in space travel and other contexts, as described in this story from Popular Science (which includes the mentioned video); more information is in a Dartmouth press release and see a related story from 2014 in ISPR Presence News. –Matthew] [Image: Screengrab from Virtual Wembury. Virtual simulation of a seaside village in the UK. It’s almost like the real thing.] Can Virtual Reality Help Keep Astronauts Sane In Space? Scientists are sending Oculus Rift headsets deep into the Arctic to find out By…

[It’s one thing to watch professional sports team members play, quite another to experience what they do on the field – it seems likely that virtual experiences like the one described in this story from Fortune will increase fans’ interest in the sport and admiration for players. For more, see the 1:49 minute video on YouTube. –Matthew] Now Anyone Can Play Goalie for the New York Rangers VR experience at Madison Square Garden puts fans in the goal vs. NHL players. By John Gaudiosi December 30, 2015 Over the years, only a small group of brave men have had the…

[Happy New Year and best wishes for a safe, healthy, productive 2016 filled with wonderful (nonmediated and telepresence) experiences! The story below from VR Focus highlights one option for celebrating within VR (see the creator’s 3:16 minute descriptive demo video on YouTube), and this and other virtual fireworks options are featured in a story at UploadVR. –Matthew] New To VR: Make Celebrations Go With a Virtual Bang In Firework Factory VR June 27, 2015 Kevin Eva It’s not just the Oculus VR Share and WEARVR platforms that get all the new content and we begin the weekend with the New…

[This piece from Motherboard covers some fascinating presence work and history, and includes some key terminological distinctions; see the original story for many more pictures and a 4:52 minute video. –Matthew] The Japanese Professor Who’s Spent Three Decades Perfecting a Human Avatar Written by Emiko Jozuka December 23, 2015 When Susumu Tachi made his first prototype telexistence machine in 1981, he was amazed at what he saw. As he peered through the contraption, he glimpsed another version of himself from behind, looking through the very same prototype device. The effect induced a curious out-of-body sensation. Excited, he called his lab…

[The power, promise and peril of presence are all illustrated in this story from Inverse, which features two more images. –Matthew] The VR Pornstar of the Future Will Play Therapist, for Better and Worse Virtual reality intimacy is going to be a growth industry, but is emotionally empowering sex workers in transactional relationships really a good idea? Yasmin Tayag November 9, 2015 According to Ela Darling, porn’s potential as a tool for emotion growth and counseling is often overshadowed by a popularly imagined seediness or the immediacy of the thing. Darling, an adult performer who co-founded the virtual reality porn…

[This story about a climbing simulation provides more insights regarding how to best evoke (spatial) presence, including the roles of narrative, photorealism and natural mapping; it’s from The Guardian, where it includes another image. –Matthew] [Image: The Climb uses the Oculus Rift’s motion-controller technology to let the player control the hands of the protagonist. Photograph: Crytek] The Climb – the most head-spinning virtual reality experience yet Crytek’s new project for the Oculus Rift shows us exactly where VR gaming is going – towards heady and experiential gameplay Keith Stuart Thursday 24 December 2015 Above you, the craggy face of the…