[The implications of this work for presence and beyond are the stuff of science fiction; the story is from New Scientist. –Matthew] Animal brains connected up to make mind-melded computer July 2015 by Jessica Hamzelou Two heads are better than one, and three monkey brains can control an avatar better than any single monkey. For the first time, a team has networked the brains of multiple animals to form a living computer that can perform tasks and solve problems. If human brains could be similarly connected, it might give us superhuman problem-solving abilities, and allow us to communicate abstract thoughts…

[This application of VR could bring a planetarium’s entertaining and educational real-time, communal immersive experience to people around the world. I wonder if the inputs could eventually be live from an earth-based or even orbiting telescope… This story is from Astronomy Now and more details are in the press release from the Royal Astronomical Society. –Matthew] [Image: An image of the sky above Edinburgh made using Stellarium open-source planetarium software. Users of the new headset will see a similar image, but will be totally immersed in the view. Image credit: A. Lawrence.] Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting 2015 –…

[A virtual job interview helps veterans and others get jobs – the study mentioned in this story from Motherboard (which includes more images and a 19:49 minute video) doesn’t refer explicitly to presence but it seems likely to play a role (the study is available here). -Matthew] Virtual Reality Interview Training Helped Veterans With PTSD Get Job Offers Ben Richmond, Contributing Editor June 30, 2015 Job interviews are stressful for anyone, but for people who are prone to anxiety, or who have been diagnosed with PTSD or mental illness, they can be nightmares. That’s why a software company has built…

[It’d be interesting to compare people’s reactions to watching this video of a aerial views of Wimbledon, controlling the view on a smartphone or tablet, being immersed in the experience with Google Cardboard and using the even more immersive setup at Waterloo Station. The story below is from Sport Techie and includes the 2:29 minute video; details about the Waterloo setup (pictured) are in coverage from VR Scout. –Matthew] Stella Artois Gives Viewers A Hawk’s-Eye-View In Virtual Reality Wimbledon Ad July 5, 2015 Rufus the Hawk probably has a better view of the Wimbledon action than any person paying the…

[VR can put people inside nearly any experience – here’s one that raises important issues for presence scholars and others; the story is from Gizmodo, where it features two animated gifs and a 2:00 minute video. For more information and a 3:51 minute video featuring Namco Bandai talking about his project, see coverage in Anime News Network. –Matthew] I Ogled a Schoolgirl in Sony’s Virtual Reality Sean Hollister 6/19/15 Yep, it’s creepy. Summer Lesson, a VR experiment for Sony’s Project Morpheus headset produced by Namco Bandai, is a powerful virtual reality experience. It’s also disturbing and awkward and, well, kind…

[We too often overlook the long history of attempts to use technology to transport and engage us (i.e., evoke (tele)presence). This is from the Long Beach Press-Telegram. –Matthew] [Image: The Velaslavasay Panorama is a little known theater in Los Angeles celebrating its 15th Anniversary. The 360 panorama landscape incorporates sound and light for shows like those popular in the days before film. Theater director Sara Velas stands in the circular venue. Photo by Robert Casillas / Daily Breeze] Los Angeles panorama theater offers quick trip to the Arctic with old art form By Richard Guzman, Press-Telegram Posted: July 1, 2015;…

[Retailers are working to take advantage of virtual reality’s ability to create presence experiences. This story is from Reuters; for a more general discussion see recent coverage in DIGIDAY. –Matthew] Virtual reality sweeps shoppers into new retail dimension Tue Jun 23, 2015 Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy and Lisa Richwine; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Lisa Shumaker A shopper in France gazes into a virtual reality headset and is transported to the bustle of a Manhattan street, then steps into a high-end boutique to browse crystal chandeliers, a chaise lounge draped with a sheepskin throw, and designer trousers. Virtual reality, the…

[This new educational interactive environment looks intriguing; the description is from Design I/O, where you can find a video and lots of images. For more information, see coverage in the New York Daily News  –Matthew] Connected Worlds An Interactive Connected Ecosystem Connected Worlds is a large scale immersive, interactive ecosystem developed for the New York Hall of Science. The installation is composed of six interactive ecosystems spread out across the walls of the Great Hall, connected together by a 3000 sqft interactive floor and a 45ft high waterfall. Children can use physical logs to divert water flowing across the floor…

[David Attenborough guides you on a virtual trip through space and time, to the oceans of early Earth, at London’s National History Museum this summer (through September 24); the detailed review below is from The Register; more information and a 1:13 minute trailer is available from Wired. –Matthew] Virtual reality below the prehistoric waves: David Attenborough’s First Life A trip back in time at the Natural History Museum 20 Jun 2015, Nigel Whitfield One way or another, Sir David Attenborough has been involved in the adoption of many key consumer technologies of recent decades, from the introduction of colour programming…

[A recent ISPR Presence News post was about developments in remote social presence in the context of sexuality; this one is about sexuality and medium-as-social-actor presence. The conclusion of the story from ExtremeTech is in line with Lombard & Jones (2013). For more information watch the 7:23 minute video from The New York Times and read a recent Reddit ask-me-anything with Matt McMullen. –Matthew] Artificial intelligence: Coming to a sexbot near you By Aaron Krumins on June 15, 2015 While the cynical among us knew it was only a matter of time before the rise of the sexbots, the partnering of…

[Exciting things are happening at Brown University; this story from The Boston Globe also includes a 2:43 minute video and a photo gallery. –Matthew] [Image: Brown University graphics systems programmer Ben Knorlein demonstrated a program called Hypercube, which teaches students about geometry of the fourth dimension. Gretchen Ertl for The Boston Globe] Brown University unveils 3D virtual-reality room By Amanda Katz, Globe Staff June 20, 2015 PROVIDENCE — In a darkened room, a group of people wearing 3-D glasses clustered around someone using a wand to draw a shape, a bit klutzily, in midair. As the virtual object grew, the…