[From Advertising Age, where the story includes additional pictures] [Image: Barneys’ virtual sleigh ride] Retail Windows Go High Tech for the Holidays Saks, Barneys Bypass Santa’s Workshop for 3D Projection Mapping, Sensory Light Shows By Sonya Chudgar November 27, 2013 The sign in front of Barneys’ holiday windows in Manhattan offers a warning: Windows could cause seizures. Beware. The black-and-white light show in Barneys’ holiday windows, unveiled last week at its flagship store, is that startling. As retailers try to keep up with technology, some are chucking the Christmas Village this holiday season for 3D projection mapping, dramatic light shows…

[From Geekosystem] The Story Behind This Robotic Butt, and How it Could Someday Help You (And Your Butt) The butt has a name, and his name is Patrick. By Glen Tickle Tuesday, November 12th 2013 This photograph is… striking. It’s easy to make a quick joke about like, “Hey! Check out the latest Wii U accessory!” but we took it a few steps further. We’ve tracked down Benjamin Lok, a doctor who worked on the project to ask him exactly what’s going on in the photo, and his answers were fascinating. We came across the photo when comedian Rob Delaney…

[A hopeful item for the day after Thanksgiving; it’s from BBC News, where the story includes additional information, pictures and a 2:53 minute video] Can virtual reality be used to tackle racism? It’s an uncomfortable truth but scientists say most people have an ingrained racial bias. Now a team has shown that a short stint in a virtual world could reduce it, but could this have a longer lasting effect? By Melissa Hogenboom BBC Click 27 November 2013 Racism is an issue that still pervades many societies. In England and Wales, there have been 106 fatal racist attacks since the…

[From E&T (Engineering & Technology), where the story includes a large photo gallery; the original press release is available from PRWeb and the App’s description in the iTunes store is here] Arachnophobia app given NHS seal of approval 26 November 2013 By Edd Gent An app that helps people overcome arachnophobia has been approved by NHS England to feature on its app library. Phobia Free, designed by Virtually Free, helps to tackle people’s fear of spiders by exposing them to more and more realistic spiders over time, progressing from cartoon spiders all the way up to an augmented reality tarantula…

[From Dezeen, where the story includes additional images] Robot surgeons to operate on beating human hearts 18 November 2013 By Marcus Fairs Robots could soon be operating on beating human hearts while a surgeon based in a different part of the world directs the procedure remotely, according to a designer working on a new generation of medical equipment. The surgeon would see a static heart on a 3D screen and the robots would attune themselves to the heart’s movement, overcoming many of the risks of existing heart surgery techniques. “Our ultimate ambition is robot-supported surgery on the beating heart,” said…

[From The Telegraph, where the story includes a 2:07 minute video] [Image: A prototype of the Digital Taste Interface] Electronic taste could allow television viewers to sample cookery show creations Television viewers could soon taste the food produced by celebrity chefs on cookery programmes thanks to new technology that recreates taste electronically By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent 21 Nov 2013 Watching celebrity chefs like Nigella Lawson or Gordon Ramsay whip up a culinary creation on television can set viewers’ taste buds tingling. But now television viewers could soon be able to sample the food for themselves with the help of…

[Put another way, it’s hard to not misperceive the role of technology while viewing these images. The story is from Wired, where it includes a photo gallery of 11 paintings] [Image: Page 222 – Yigal Ozeri. Untitled; Aquabella. 2011. Oil on paper, 42 x 60″. Courtesy Abrams. These Photos Are Actually Paintings By Jakob Schiller 11.21.13 Louis K. Meisel likes to let you know that he doesn’t care for famous graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat’s paintings — which sell for millions of dollars — because he thinks they don’t show much skill. “People don’t buy Basquiat’s work because they like what…

[From DigInfo TV, where the post includes a 2:07 minute video; animated gifs of the system are available from Oddly_Even] Interact with virtual characters in the real world November 7, 2013 This mixed reality interface [called MARIO: Mid-air Augmented Reality Interaction with Objects] places virtual characters in the real world. It was developed by the Naemura Lab at the University of Tokyo. Users can have an animated character jump onto their hand, as well as guide the character onto blocks, creating a novel interactive experience. “Recently, devices have been developed that can form images in mid-air. We’ve utilized one of those,…

[From C1, the Condition One blog; view a 3:57 minute interactive video demo and download ‘showcase’ apps here] Announcing Zero Point: The first 3D 360 movie for virtual reality November 13, 2013 We’re excited to announce that we are in development with Zero Point, the first movie shot in 3D, 360 degree video optimized for the Oculus Rift head mounted display. In the film, we follow the pioneers of virtual reality; the researchers and developers creating an entirely new digital dimension. From combat training simulations at the Department of Defense, to research labs at Stanford, to indie game developers and…

[An American Heart Association press release; follow the link for additional audio and video materials] ‘Virtual reality hands’ may help stroke survivors recover hand function Study Highlights: Scientists used brain-computer interface technology to help stroke survivors use their minds to power “virtual reality hands” to help regain the use of their arms and hands. The technology offers hope of recovery to stroke survivors and others who have lost mobility and control of their arms and hands. DALLAS, Nov. 17, 2013 — “Virtual reality hands” — controlled by stroke survivors’ thoughts — could help them recover use of their hands and…

[From Forbes] The New Matterport 3D Camera Could Change Reality As You Know It 11/17/2013 Elise Ackerman, Contributor A few weeks ago I slipped on an Oculus Rift headset and visited the future of virtual reality. In a millisecond, I was transported from a drab office park in Mountain View, CA to the middle of a showcase home in Portola Valley, CA  that had been rendered as a life-size model by the Matterport 3D Camera. It was the closest I’m likely to get to teleportation. The details of my immediate surroundings were completely replaced by the virtual world. Using a…

[From Slate’s Future Tense blog, where the post includes the two video clips mentioned] [Image: A telepresence robot in The Good Wife. Still from The Good Wife copyright CBS.] More Proof That The Good Wife Is the Best Technology Show on TV By Torie Bosch Robots don’t usually show up on TV unless it’s to ruin civilization—or unless the show is set hundreds of years in the future. And they’re usually sophisticated machines (Futurama’s Bender’s taste in booze notwithstanding). But on CBS last night, a robot took a bold roll forward—into a door. In the fifth-season premiere of The Good…