[From BBC News, where the story includes more images and two videos (see note at end for a link to a longer video program] [Image: The Aero robot was originally designed to take part in a competition held by NASA] Ebola-tackling robots to be discussed by the White House By Jen Copestake BBC Click TV, Boston 6 November 2014 Robots have been working in disaster zones since 9/11. They can reach remote and dangerous locations and operate in places people can’t go, including the rubble of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. So it seems a natural step to think about…

[From Engadget, where the post includes a 34:04 minute video] Virtual reality has a future beyond video games, and it’s already started by Sean Buckley | November 8th 2014 With devices like the Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus driving the public’s interest in virtual reality, it’s easy assume the future of VR lies in video games. It’s a safe prediction, but it isn’t right: “It’s a broad category,” Matterport’s Matt Bell said at Engadget Expand. “I think it’s going to go in about ten directions at once.” Bell compares the future of VR to the history of the internet…

[Something a little different, but still technology misperceived: From the Los Angeles Times, where the story includes a 2:16 minute video report; for more information, see the press release via Eurekalert] Mind-blowing robot conjures ghosts in the lab By Geoffrey Mohan November 6, 2014 It’s never too late for a little Halloween creepiness. At least not for a group of Swiss researchers, who managed to make unwary subjects feel like they had been tapped by a ghost. In fact, a couple of the bindfolded volunteers thought the experience was so creepy they almost quit, according to neuroscientist Giulio Rognini, of…

[From Mashable; for more information and videos from the show, see the Wall Street Journal Speakeasy blog] [Image: Jimmy Kimmel and Kacey Musgraves interact via hologram. Source: Yahoo! Screen] Inside Jimmy Kimmel’s big hologram moment By Sandra Gonzalez November 5, 2014 Jimmy Kimmel is ready for his hologram close-up. On Wednesday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, airing after the Country Music Association awards, the host and his team will attempt an impressive technological feat that will find the host presiding over two audiences in two different locations at one time. The goal is simple-sounding: Los Angeles-based Kimmel will have guests in both his…

[From SportTechie, where the story includes a 3:17 minute video] EON Sports Launches Virtual Reality Experiences for Football Players November 4, 2014 By Freddy Lopez In the gridiron, every inch matters. There’s a ton of reads for a player to digest once the football is snapped. Time is of the utmost essence–literally and figuratively. “This generation is so easily distracted, because of all the access to the Internet, Facebook, and Twitter. When we were kids, you had to think about stuff.” These remarks were made by UCLA Coach Jim Mora last week ahead of their matchup against Arizona, per The…

[From the University of Montreal; an extended interview with Massil Benbouriche from 2013 (in French) is available (along with the image below) from Radio Canada] Virtual reality promises new applications for sexual offending 03 November 2014 Virtual reality may be the key to predicting both the behaviour of sex offenders and the effectiveness of the therapies they have undergone, according to a study undertaken by Massil Benbouriche of the University of Montreal’s School of Criminology. “It is currently impossible to define the circumstances in which patients will – or will not – contain their aggressive impulses following therapy or treatment…

[From TIME LightBox, where the story includes more pictures and a 2:08 minute video] Here’s What It’s Like Inside the First Virtual Reality Documentary October 28, 2014 | By Josh Raab Putting on a virtual reality headset feels a little like wearing the gaudiest pair of sunglasses ever: they’re awkward, unflattering — but they somehow manage to be kind of fun. Earlier this month, I was given the opportunity to try an Oculus Rift in one of TIME’s meeting rooms, sampling some imagery from Zero Point, the first movie ever shot in 3D, 360 degree video specifically for virtual reality.…

[From Advertising Age, where the story includes a 2:30 minute video] Meet Lowe’s Newest Sales Associate — OSHbot, the Robot Retailer’s Innovation Lab Seeks Answers to Shopper Problems By Ashley Rodriguez. Published on October 28, 2014 Lowe’s is set to unleash a retail-ready, multilingual robot. The project is designed to help shoppers navigate stores quickly and easily. “People want to come in and find exactly where they want to go,” said Kyle Nel, executive director of Lowe’s Innovation Labs. “And they want to have a conversation instead of trying to find a map.” Customers can talk to the robot, OSHbot,…

[From The Daily Beast] [Image: Elena Scotti/The Daily Beast] ‘Real’ Sex Welcome to Oculus XXX: In-Your-Face 3D is the Future of Porn Aurora Snow10.18.14 In 2015, experts claim that consumers will be able to use Oculus Rift’s virtual reality technology to have simulated sex. The future of porn will be a lot more personal. In the last few years, a new generation of consumer-friendly virtual reality (VR) tech has emerged, bringing childhood fantasies and science fiction to life, and offering experiences so incredible that users have reported confusion and disappointment upon returning to the real world. A recent Alien video…

[From Gizmodo UK, where the story includes a 2:26 minute video] The First Feature-Length Oculus Rift Film is Perfect Poop-Your-Pants Halloween Viewing By Gerald Lynch on 27 Oct 2014 The focus with Oculus Rift may currently be on virtual reality gaming but, as we learnt at last week’s Interstellar VR experience, there’s room for the headset in Hollywood too. Now Oculus Rift has its first ever feature-length movie, The Banshee Chapter, a horror movie just in time for an immersive Halloween scare. A modernised Lovecraftian tale, The Banshee Chapter (produced by Star Trek‘s Zachary Quinto) was first given a standard…

[From BBC News, where the story includes more pictures and a 1:09 minute video of the Podrift being set up and tested; for more information see the Podrift web site] Podrift: Is podcasting ripe for virtual reality? By Dougal Shaw Technology reporter 20 October 2014 The key to podcasting’s success is, arguably, its simplicity. A new technology called Podrift wants to revolutionise the genre by giving it the virtual reality treatment – but is it just a gimmick? Imagine if instead of just listening to the Ricky Gervais Show podcast, you could step into a virtual 3D world created by…

[From BBC News; an impressive 1:36 minute video is available on YouTube] [Image: Daniel Shafrir hopes Andy can transform education about space] Robot will beam live Moon pictures to Oculus users By Jane Wakefield, Technology reporter 21 October 2014 Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a robot which they plan to land on the Moon to act as eyes for Earth-bound space enthusiasts. The project is part of a $30m prize from Google offered to a team that can send video back from the moon. The robot has already been shown to potential investors, including Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty…