[This thoughtful piece from The Verge reminds us of some of the complex ethical issues that we’ll have to confront as VR and presence become more common; here’s a key line: “If VR can reveal truth, it can also make lies more vivid.” –Matthew] How do you turn North Korea’s unreal facade into virtual reality? Unfiltered access to a filtered experience By Adi Robertson December 10, 2015 When The New York Times released virtual reality mini-documentary The Displaced, its creators talked about the medium’s capacity to convey the unfiltered truth of a scene. It’s not that audiences no longer have…

[This application of presence in health care could be extremely valuable; the story is from Boston Magazine, and a 0:31 minute interactive video is available on YouTube. –Matthew] Tufts Medical Center Is Bringing Virtual Reality to Patient Care Patients will be able to get a 360-degree preview before a medical procedure. By Dana Guth | Hub Health | December 7, 2015 Patients often suffer a great deal of anxiety in the moments leading up to a procedure. But what if an individual could scope out the ER, meet her surgeon, and feel out her surroundings months before an appointment?…

[Following the recent research suggesting that 3D faces evoke more emotion comes this evidence for the power of 3D to improve memory; the story is from Popular Science, where it includes a 1:50 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Three-dimensional video games could make your memory better right there (the hippocampus)] Three-Dimensional Video Games Could Make Your Memory Better Adding to the pile of conflicting video game research By Dave Gershgorn December 8, 2015 Video games and science have a sordid past. They make you smarter, dumber, fat, skinny, relaxed, aggressive, and now, new research adds improved memory to that list.…

[Rachel Rossin’s art goes beyond just using VR as it addresses the merging of the ‘real’ and virtual worlds; this is from PSFK, where the story includes more pictures. See Rossin’s website for more VR-based art. –Matthew] Oil Meets Virtual Reality In This Trippy Painting Series Rachel Rossin mixes the traditional with the digital by using a VR headset and visually intricate oil paintings Eva Recinos 3 december 2015 Walking into an art gallery means surrendering yourself to whatever visuals might be on display against the space’s white walls. You negotiate space as you walk through an exhibition and take…

[“Uncanny Valley” is the latest entertaining and thought-provoking portrayal of presence; we’ll be adding it to our ongoing study of them (the project website is here). This story is from The Verge, where it features the 8:53 minute film, which is also available directly on Vimeo. –Matthew] Uncanny Valley is a super stylish short film about how VR will destroy us By Adi Robertson on December 2, 2015 It’s a sad fact that despite the huge wave of virtual reality hype we’re currently in, our generation doesn’t have its Strange Days or Lawnmower Man or any other stylish blockbuster about…

[This story from CNET is a nice description of where VR is and might be heading – if it succeeds it’ll be because of the ‘magic’ of presence. See also a related piece in Venture Beat in which a father describes what happens when he introduces his 5 year old daughter to VR. –Matthew] Home for the holidays with my family, and virtual reality Commentary: To my family, no matter what their age, VR is magic…but it takes someone to put it on their heads in the first place. December 2, 2015 by Scott Stein “Oh my god, it’s so…

[This research report from Aalto University about emotional reactions to 3D faces is interesting not only because of the role of presence but the implications for media producers; as coverage in Quartz notes, “it could help them hone the 3D effect to really make the viewer feel the emotions of the characters in the game [or other 3D experience].” –Matthew] [Image: Six stereoscopic image pairs used in the experiment. The images can be seen in 3D by ‘looking through’ the image.] 3D amplifies emotions evoked by facial expressions The research findings have implications for emotion research, entertainment industry and 3D…

[Virtual environments need not be photo-realistic to evoke presence and have impacts on users; this story about an interesting VR installation is from Fast Company, where it includes a large photo gallery. —Matthew] Reaching Enlightenment Through Virtual Reality Tune in and drop out. Diana Budds December 1, 2015 The Eight Phases of Enlightenment, a virtual-reality installation by the artist Aramique, starts off as if you’re in the eye of a storm of fireflies. In a video, the glowing spots set against a black background swirl faster and start to congeal into a glowing orb before exploding in a flash of…

[You can have some Christmas presence (sorry!) at TGI Fridays in the UK this year; will this become a trend? The story is from The Daily Mirror, where it features many more images and a 1:14 minute video. The unscientific poll at the end of the story currently has 75% indicating support for the idea. The VR promotion follows last year’s “Mistletoe drones” – see CNET for details. –Matthew] Fancy dinner in Lapland? Customers at TGI Fridays offered ‘virtual reality’ trips to festive wonderland You won’t even have to get on a plane to experience the true magic of Christmas…

[Evoking presence, in this case for an important educational simulation, doesn’t require highly sophisticated technology. Most of the media coverage of this draws on the Ford press release below; there’s also a 2:13 minute video on YouTube and International Business Times has a first person report and a 3:12 minute video. –Matthew] Unique Ford Suit Helps Teach Young People the Dangerous Effects of Driving Under the Influence of Illegal Drugs DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 20, 2015 – Ford Motor Company has created a unique suit to dramatically teach young people about the dangers of driving under the influence of illegal drugs.…

[Impacto isn’t just about boxing – it’s “a prototype for future gaming or telepresence interfaces “; the story from MIT Technology Review includes a different picture and a 0:30 minute video. If nothing else, read the succinct summary in the last sentence below. –Matthew] [Image: eTeknix] Get a Virtual-Reality Punch, Feel Real Impact Researchers in Germany have developed technology for an armband that lets you feel impact from virtual interactions. By John Pavlus on November 11, 2015 Imagine playing a virtual-reality boxing game, complete with a menacing opponent aiming a haymaker at your head. You get your gloves up in…

[This looks like a very immersive, presence-evoking installation; the post from The Creators Project blog includes a larger gif, many more images, and the video. –Matthew] [Image: GIF via, images courtesy the artist] Take a Mind-Bending Plane Ride That Never Leaves the Ground By Beckett Mufson — Nov 5 2015 File into the airplane. Find your seat. Buckle up. Instead of engines revving and cabin pressure falling, an array of LEDs sets the metal tube ablaze with light. Welcome to PlayMid’s (Playmodes + MID) new installation, Porta Estel·lar: the only destination is the psychedelic corners of your mind.…