[A touring film festival just for the high-presence VR format; this is from the New York Times ArtsBeat blog, where it includes 2 more images. –Matthew] [Image: A scene from “Colosse,” a film in which the narrative is driven by where viewers direct their gazes. Credit: Joseph Chen] A Virtual Reality Film Festival Becomes a Reality By Mekado Murphy August 5, 2015 Would you like to be in a movie? How about inside a movie? A new film festival focused solely on virtual reality projects will give audiences that opportunity. The inaugural Kaleidoscope VR Film Festival, announced by organizers on…

[It’s amazing how quickly presence-evoking technology is evolving; this new design for headsets has the potential to allow longer and more “natural and comfortable” sessions; the story is from Stanford News, where it includes a 1:42 minute video; more details and images are available from the Stanford Computational Imaging Group. –Matthew] Stanford researchers unveil virtual reality headset that reduces eye fatigue, nausea Assistant Professor Gordon Wetzstein’s new Stanford Computational Imaging Group has developed a light-field stereoscope that creates a dramatically more natural virtual reality experience than what is present in today’s leading headsets. By Vignesh Ramachandran Stanford Report, August 3,…

[In the market for a luxury home but no time to visit candidate properties? Just ‘go there’ via VR! The concluding quote in this story from L.A. Biz provides nice perspective: we’ve moved from “grainy black and white photo[s]” to color photos, video, drones, and now virtual reality. See coverage in The Los Angeles Times for a video. -Matthew] [Image: Real-estate agent Matthew Hood has brought VR to Sotheby’s International Realty […] to market luxury homes. Credit: Annlee Ellingson] Virtual reality makes house hunters feel at home Aug 12, 2015 Annlee Ellingson, Staff Writer L.A. Biz I’m standing in front…

[It’s early days, but will 3D video for virtual reality bypass the uncanny valley problems of CGI? Will we create, edit and share films in 8i’s (or a related) format? Will it eventually be possible to use it in real-time? This story is from The Next Web, where it features several images and videos; much more information and samples are available on the 8i website. –Matthew] 8i debuts 3D Video file format based on light field tech for rich, realistic interaction by Jackie Dove August 5, 2015 8i, a startup based in New Zealand, has unveiled a new 3D Video…

[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…