[This link-filled essay from CNN argues that a series of recent technological advancements make it more likely that we’re living in a “computer generated” reality, the ultimate collective presence illusion. Whether we are or not, the increasingly common notion suggests the importance of, and concern about, simulations and deception in our society. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Warner Bros./Village Roadshow Pictures/Groucho Film Partnership] Opinion: 25 years later, ‘The Matrix’ is less sci-fi than tech reality By Rizwan Virk, who founded Play Labs @ MIT and is the author of ”The Simulation Hypothesis: An MIT Computer Scientist Shows Why AI, Quantum Physics and…

[The original version of this story from the U.S. Argonne National Laboratory about a new, sophisticated teleoperation system developed for the remote clean-up of hazardous materials highlights the importance of presence with a prominent repetition of this quote from later in the text: “Our first aim in telerobotic system design is to facilitate a ‘telepresence,’ to make the operator feel as though they are present within the hot cell, able to manipulate the objects with both hands, and to experience multimodal sensory feedback in a direct, natural way.” – Young Soo Park, leader, Argonne’s Robotics and Remote Systems Program in…

[According to this story from The Guardian, a new 40-minute virtual reality experience at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris was meticulously researched and designed to take visitors back to the time and place of the birth of Impressionist art. See the original version of the story for a second image. –Matthew] [Image: Visitors take part in a virtual reality experience at the exhibition Paris 1874 Inventing Impressionism at the Musée d’Orsay. Credit: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images] Historic meeting of French impressionists recreated in Paris exhibition Immersive tour at Musée d’Orsay takes visitors back to 15 April 1874 – the moment that…

[This story from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney describes the origins and positive impacts of a presence-evoking artificially intelligent companion for people with dementia. See the original version for a second image; for more information, listen to and/or read the transcript of a 6:41 minute audio report from SBS News. –Matthew] [Image: Viv – an AI character who embodies a range of symptoms and experiences associated with dementia – is based on a ground-breaking collaboration between artists and psychologists. She is pictured here with Professor Jill Bennett and Dr Gail Kenning of the fEEL ARC Laureate Lab…

[Here’s an entertaining ‘review’ of the fictional presence-evoking technology in a new Netflix adaptation of the Liu Cixin science fiction trilogy 3 Body Problem. It’s from The Verge, where the original includes a short trailer (also available on YouTube). You can find critic and audience reviews here. –Matthew] 3 Body Problem VR headset review: Magical tech in need of more apps The device is far more advanced than an Apple Vision Pro, but it needs more than one game to justify the purchase (once you can actually purchase one, that is). By Andrew Webster March 23, 2024 Arthur C.…

[As Phillyvoice, reports, Netflix is planning to open large brick-and-mortar venues that combine permanent immersive experiences based on its film and television properties with dining, retail and other activities. The first tentative announced location is in the King of Prussia mall in Philadelphia (the third largest mall in the U.S.). The Bloomberg story linked in this report is behind a paywall, but Smithsonian Magazine has similar details and includes this: “We’ve seen how much fans love to immerse themselves in the world of our movies and TV shows, and we’ve been thinking a lot about how we take that to…

[Although they don’t address the important questions about how humanoid robots will evoke medium-as-social-actor presence perceptions and social responses on their way to being integrated into human society, experts are predicting a huge market for the robots in both industrial and consumer sectors, as reported in this story from Inc. See also “The Rise of Humanoids, Explained” from Fund management company Global X ETFs (where the report includes some intriguing charts and other graphics). –Matthew] [Image: Source: Peter Diamandis blog] Peter Diamandis Predicts ‘Millions, Then Billions’ of Humanoid Robots Are Coming The entrepreneur and futurist expects advancements in AI and…

[Despite remaining challenges, this IEEE Spectrum update about the quest for improved visual resolution, and thus perceived realism and compelling presence experiences, includes this key quote: “[T]he latest headsets with the best display technology are close to achieving what [Varjo Chief Product Officer Patrick] Wyatt calls the ‘human resolution bar’—the limit past which a person with 20/20 vision will no longer see an improvement. Future displays will eventually exceed it.” –Matthew] [Image: Varjo’s XR-4 headset features a resolution nearing 4K per eye—which approaches the equivalent of 20/20 vision. Credit: Varjo] VR Headsets Are Approaching the Eye’s Resolution Limits Some manufacturers…

[Not all presence experiences are created in digital environments. As this CNN story notes, immersive fantasy experiences in theme parks, at Renaissance fairs, and at science fiction and fantasy conventions have been around for decades. But the pandemic and political polarization have contributed to the growing popularity of “fantasy-themed balls, masquerades and similar immersive events for adults.” See the original version of the story for four more images. –Matthew] [Image: Guests at a fantasy ball participate in a choreographed dance on Aug. 20, 2022 in South Bend, Indiana. Credit: Thistle + Lace Photography] Belle of the book ball: Book Tok…

[Although we recognize the use of digital effects in some (e.g., science fiction and fantasy) films and television programs, in a common and extremely effective form of presence we completely overlook the role of many sophisticated digital manipulations used by visual effects artists to make the people and settings in films and programs appear realistic and natural. Some of these manipulations are described in this New York Times story (see the original version for two more images). –Matthew] [Image: Digital effects were used to create the background of this scene from “Roma.” Credit: Netflix] It’s a Visual Effects Extravaganza, but…

[This essay from TheGamer argues that the entertaining presence experiences provided by virtual reality will be most popular and practical in an updated version of gaming arcades (sadly, a particularly compelling and fun multi-player VR attraction, Dreamscape, just closed its flagship location in Los Angeles after six years). See the original TheGamer story for three more images, and visit the website of the mentioned Two Bit Circus arcade for more information about that venue. –Matthew] The Future Of Virtual Reality Is Co-operative Experiences Virtual reality shouldn’t be targeting regular consumers, it should look to revive arcade gaming By Ben Sledge…

[A new video featuring interactions with the AI-powered robot Figure 01 demonstrates technical advancements likely to new levels of medium-as-social-actor presence. It’s getting lots of attention from the public, press and experts in AI and robotics. Details are in stories below from Mashable and Decrypt; the 2:34 minute video is featured in the original versions of both stories and is available on YouTube. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Decrypt] It’s like ChatGPT with a body: Watch creepy demo of OpenAI-powered robot ‘Figure 01’ I prefer my ChatGPT disembodied, thank you very much. By Kimberly Gedeon March 14, 2024 A creepy demo of…