[From Fast Company’s Co.Design, where the story includes a 2:50 minute video; much more information is available on the VR Coaster web site] Wheeee! What It’s Like To Wear A Virtual Reality Headset On A Roller Coaster Why would you wear an Oculus Rift on a roller coaster? Why WOULDN’T you?!? Mark Wilson August 29, 2014 You know how you go get froyo, and at first it seems like enough to just top it with a few pieces of fresh fruit. “This is perfection,” you think, “the simple pleasures.” And then you’re beckoned to the sprinkles, Oreo crumbles, the radioactively…

[From Wired, where the story includes a photo gallery; see DesignBoom for more images and two videos] [Image: Sending a kiss. Credit: Jonathan Levinson] Using the Internet of Things to Create Cute Long-Distance Interactions By Joseph Flaherty 08.28.14 A child resting their head on a parent’s shoulder. A squeeze of the thigh during a scary movie. These silent gestures are a critical part of the language of love, but no words, or even emoji, can properly capture them. Israeli design student Daniel Sher has recently tried to bring these ephemeral feelings onto the Internet of Things with a collection of…

[From Motherboard; see PLOS One for more information] [Image: An overview of the brain-to-brain interface. Image: PLOS One] Scientists Found a Way to Email Brain Waves Written by Jordan Pearson August 20, 2014 Researchers have successfully communicated words from one brain to another over the internet. Brain wave-sensing technology, which utilizes electroencephalography-powered headsets, has already been demonstrated to do all kinds of impressive things, such as piloting an aircraft or controlling a robot. Now, researchers are investigating how to telepathically communicate with the tech. An international team of researchers was able to use electroencephalography (EEG) to convert the words “hola”…

[From The Register, where the story includes many more images] Dolby Atmos is coming home and it sounds amazing Don’t bin your multichannel home cinema system just yet By Steve May, 13 Aug 2014 Can Dolby Atmos save the beleaguered home cinema business? With sales of AV receivers tanking, makers of multichannel home theatre receivers are banking on the latest in surround sound technology to rekindle interest. Dolby Atmos has been called 3D for your ears. It’s a cute label to describe a tangible leap forward for movie audio. Unlike traditional surround sound, Atmos is object rather than channel based,…

[From The Guardian] Experiencing is believing: what virtual reality could mean for ads and brands If Facebook can pull off mass adoption of Oculus Rift, how will it change media and marketing? Mike McGee dares to dream Posted by Mike McGee 28 August 2014 Facebook is hoping to create 1bn users for its virtual reality (VR) acquisition, Oculus. Sounds overly ambitious doesn’t it? But not impossible. After all, Google managed this level of adoption for Android. So let’s assume for a moment that it’s feasible and ask ourselves how mass uptake of VR will affect media and marketing? VR is…

[From RocketNews24, where the story includes the 2:19 minute video (via Vimeo), along with many images from it] Amazing real-time projection mapping technology blurs line between fantasy and reality [Video] Kay August 24, 2014 Projection mapping is a technology we seem to be hearing about quite often these days, and you may have seen it being used at various events or amusement park shows. But the video that we’re sharing with you today makes use of a highly unexpected and unusual surface to create a series of projection mapped images quite unlike anything we’ve seen before. In fact, the technology…

[From GamesIndustry.biz;  Gizmodo’s coverage is headlined “Could Virtual Reality Seem Real Enough To Kill You?”] [Image: From the 14:50 minute YouTube video “Oculus FACEBOOK Rift: The Best and Funniest OR Reactions Ever Compilation”] “We’re very close to having the first death in VR” Cloudhead Games’ Denny Unger warns devs of the responsibility that comes with VR’s immersive power By Matthew Handrahan Fri 22 Aug 2014 The emergence of virtual reality is one of the most exciting trends in contemporary game development. The unparalleled sense of immersion it affords points toward a whole new era of interactive entertainment, but that potential…

[From Motherboard, where the story features two videos and several more images] A New Virtual Reality Tool Brings the Daily Trauma of the Syrian War to Life Written by Christopher Malmo August 23, 2014 The situation for journalism in Syria is grim, and getting worse. With Bashar al-Assad on one side, and a handful of extremist rebel groups like the Islamic State on the other, journalist abductions and intimidation are common, with sometimes sickening results. For a few years now, Syria has been categorized by the Committee to Protect Journalists as the most dangerous country in the world to be…

[From the University of California, San Diego; a 4:39 minute video is available on YouTube] New Virtual Reality Navigation System to Help Diagnose Cognitive Defects August 18, 2014 | By Tiffany Fox Note: This is the first in a three-part series about Qualcomm Institute research projects that have a direct impact on aging. All three projects are funded through the Calit2 Strategic Research Opportunities program. The Qualcomm Institute is the University of California, San Diego division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2). Experts agree that the ability to navigate a neighborhood or built space is one…

[From Business Insider; for more see the Netflix Hack Day 2014 web page] Netflix Paired With The Oculus Rift Headset Could Transform Your Home Into A Movie Theater Steven Tweedie Aug. 20, 2014 Netflix recently unveiled several experimental projects that were created during one of its “Hack Days,” where employees can tinker and dream up new versions of the popular streaming service. One of the coolest projects is called Oculix, and it combines the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset with the Netflix experience.…

[From Gizmag, where the story includes a 27 image picture gallery] Swimarium: The virtual reality swimming pool By Stu Robarts August 13, 2014 If you’ve ever fancied scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef but can’t afford it, this idea from OVA Studio might provide a solution. The Swimarium is a design concept in which LED screens are placed all around a pool to create an immersive virtual swimming experience that would let you dive anywhere in the world.…

[From Motherboard] New Military Jets Are So Powerful, Pilots Must Be Trained in Virtual Reality Written by Jordan Pearson August 11, 2014 The latest generation of US Air Force fighter jets are smarter, stealthier, and more lethal than their predecessors, but they present an unexpected hurdle: The new jets are too powerful to unleash their full potential during training exercises. One general believes that training pilots in virtual reality is the solution. Fifth generation jets like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II boast weaponized high technology like supersonically launched guided missiles and a wealth of sensors that provide full…