[This project, especially the ‘down the road’ possibilities such as being able to join astronauts on space walks in real-time – has exciting potential. The story is from The Verge, where it features a different image and a 4:39 minute video. –Matthew] SpaceVR launches a Kickstarter to make virtual reality movies in space Orbit the Earth from your couch By Sean O’Kane on August 10, 2015 If you want to go to space, you either need a Donald Trump-sized fortune or the kind of patience only the Dalai Lama can relate to. A new company called SpaceVR wants to change…

[Giving AI-driven game opponents physical form in ‘our’ world seems likely to evoke presence (with the medium, in this case NAO, seeming to be a social actor). This is from IEEE Spectrum, where it features a different image and a 2:39 minute video. Follow the HRI 2015 link at the bottom for information about many more presence-related projects. –Matthew] Who Needs Real Friends When Robots Will Play Nintendo With You By Evan Ackerman Posted 5 Aug 2015 For those of us who have no friends, we at least have video games. And thanks to artificial intelligence, the computer-controlled adversaries we…

[The innovative exhibition described in this story adds more channels of sensory stimuli to visual art; making the experience more immersive. The story is from The Independent and there’s much more background on the project in a piece from March in Quartz. More information about the exhibition, which is free and runs from August 26 to September 20, 2015, is available from the Tate Britain website. –Matthew] [Image: Interior II (1964), Richard Hamilton: Smells created by Odette Toilette will pick up on images from the work including perfume from the 1940s] Tate Sensorium: New exhibition at Tate Britain invites art…

[The argument in the interesting 7:39 minute “Why CG Sucks (Except It Doesn’t)” video in this story from Co.Create is exactly the argument of presence: When computer effects are successful, we don’t notice them – we misperceive the role of technology in our experience; it’s only when poorly executed CG effects stand out that they ‘break’ the (presence) illusion. –Matthew] Counterpoint: CGI Is Not Bad, You Just Don’t Notice When It’s Good A new video chockfull of really crappy CGI also shows how great CGI is so subtle you don’t even notice—and it happens all the time. By Joe Berkowitz…

[The British Museum is using VR and presence to engage audiences, and as this story from Alphr notes, this is apparently only the beginning. Find two more images in the article and the Museum‘s free Virtual Reality Weekend is August 8-9 at the Museum’s Samsung Digital Discovery Centre. –Matthew] Samsung and the British Museum bring virtual reality to the Bronze Age Visitors to the British Museum will be able to explore a virtual recreation of an ancient British home Thomas McMullan 4 Aug 2015 Standing in a field you look up at the sun. Beside you is a cluster of…

[These “follow me” photos bring the viewer into the image, creating both spatial and social presence; the story in BuzzFeed includes 18 other images. –Matthew] A Woman Is Leading Her Boyfriend Around The World In These Gorgeous Photos posted on Jul. 20, 2015 Rossalyn Warren BuzzFeed News Reporter For the past seven months, Christian LeBlanc has been travelling around Asia with a backpack, a camera, and with his girlfriend, Laura Reid, leading the way. The couple, both aged 22 and from Vancouver, Canada, travelled to 10 countries over the seven-month period. LeBlanc’s trip started in January on a school exchange…

[As a Philadelphia resident I’m depressed and embarrassed to have to relay this story of the demise of hitchBOT, the hitchhiking robot (for more information about the project see the ISPR Presence News post from August 6, 2014). The picture below from this weekend’s NPR coverage and the concern one of the creators expresses near the end of the AP/CBS News story below indicate the kind of social presence responses hitchBOT evoked. For more details about the crime see the updated story in The Philadelphia Inquirer. –Matthew] [Image: HitchBOT, a hitchhiking robot, sits with German tourists Sarah Strempel and Eric…

[This discussion of the possible applications of VR and presence for not just viewing but experiencing the Olympics includes some exciting scenarios but also addresses the challenges. It’s from The Boston Globe (even though the 2024 Olympics won’t be in Boston – details here). –Matthew] [Image: One of five shoebox-sized camera rigs that NextVR placed on the course where the 2015 US Open was played. The camera rigs captured footage used for real-time virtual reality experiences of the golf tournament.] Virtual Olympics could be a viewing option in 2024 By Shira Springer, Globe Staff July 26, 2015 The men’s 100-meter…

[Some fans of television programs go to filming locations and take photos that include photos of characters and scenes from the show, apparently attempting to form (presence) connections to the places and people in the fictional world. As a fan of Orphan Black, I favor the ones by arcsloth on that program’s Tumblr; an example is below, followed by a story from The Huffington Post about (and featuring many examples of) the same phenomenon for Orange Is The New Black. -Matthew] Teen Trespasses On Abandoned ‘OITNB’ Set, Show Has Great Response By Taylor Pittman Posted: 07/06/2015; Updated: 07/08/2015 A Netflix…

[I like that this article about the various uses of VR and presence (it even uses the term) in politics points out both the benefits and dangers; it’s from Upload and includes more images and two videos. For details on Bernie Sanders’ use of VR (mentioned at the end) see coverage in Variety. –Matthew] How Virtual Reality Will Influence the 2016 Presidential Election For better or worse. by Will Mason July 19, 2015 Virtual reality is on the precipice of transforming our world in many ways. From the way we entertain ourselves, to the way we interact with one another,…

[Shades of Lars and the Real Girl, Ex Machina and other films: The founder of RealDoll has some intriguing things to say here about the future of presence interactions that go way beyond physical intimacy; the story is from PSFK and includes seven additional vivid images. –Matthew] Sex Dolls with Artificial Intelligence to Ease Your Loneliness (and Maybe Shoot You a Text) We talked to RealDoll CEO Matt Mullen about the company’s latest project: making robotic sex dolls that talk, text, and email back Laura Yan 8 July 2015 Abyss Creations, the company beyond Realdoll (life-sized, silicone sex dolls), wants…