[From the Philadelphia Inquirer; more information is available from Villanova] [Image: A still frame from a video by computer scientist Frank Klassner shows an omni-directional image of the interior of Villanova University’s chapel made with a Ladybug camera] Villanova adding robotic camera to its virtual reality technology By Jeff Gelles, Inquirer Columnist December 12, 2013 What if you could explore and conduct research on the floor of the Grand Canyon, or examine archaeological sites underneath the Vatican, without ever leaving the Philadelphia region? By next fall, those kinds of experiences and many more will be available to students and the…

[From Keystone Edge] Palmyra’s Robometrix starting production and sales of its consumer-market robots Thursday, December 12, 2013 Writer: Elise Vider Imagine remotely checking in on elderly loved ones with a mini-robot that you move around using your smartphone.  Or playing with your dog while you’re at work. Robometrix, a startup in Palmyra, is introducing its VisitorBot Mini, a compact telepresence device that can be operated on a tabletop or floor and sells for only $300. The larger VisitorBot Max stands four-feet-tall and, for example, can move around a factory floor to monitor overseas manufacturing from your Pennsylvania workplace. It sells…

[Interesting consideration of ‘Computers Are Social Actors’ telepresence issues; this is from Pillow Talk TV, where the post includes several more pictures; more information and full episodes of the series are available on its official web site] Almost Human: Playing the uncanny valley December 5, 2013 By jcodner Fox’s new futuristic cop drama Almost Human, from power-house J.J. Abrams and creator J.H. Wyman, steps into the gaping hole on network television left by his previous Fringe and not quite filled by shows like Arrow and Revolution. Starring Karl Urban, Minka Kelly, Lili Taylor, Mackenzie Crook, Michael Irby, and Michael Ealy…

[From Mashable, where the story includes a 1:32 minute video] Reactive Grip Wants Your Video Game Experience to Get Physical Colin Daileda December 7, 2013 A company called Tactical Haptics wants to give video games a sense of touch in a way that could put rumble packs to shame. Founder and CEO William Provancher told Mashable that his company has built a virtual reality device called Reactive Grip, a combination of software and hardware that lets video game players use a specialized controller to experience physical sensations unlike anything previously seen in gaming. Reactive Grip does a couple of things to create…

[Anonymous social presence? This is from Wired, where the story includes a photo gallery and a 1:15 minute video] [Image: A clever pop-up control panel in Drei’s physics-based IPad puzzler lets you communicate with your partner via instantly translated words and phrases. Image: Drei.] Brilliant iPad Game Forces You to Collaborate With a Stranger By Kyle VanHemert 12.04.13 To say that Drei restored my faith in humanity would be overdoing it, but I will say that it’s the only iPad game to ever make me consider my relationship with humanity, and that must be some sort of accomplishment. For the…

[From eWeek; a 1:09 minute video report is available from Mashable] [Image: Sequoia National Park via Google Street View] Google Street View Now Showcasing U.S. and Canadian National Parks By Todd R. Weiss  |  Posted 2013-11-20 Can’t get to Mount Rushmore to see it up close? Now Google’s Street View images can bring it to you, as well as many other lovely national parks in the U.S. and Canada. Google’s Street View crews have wandered all across national parks and historical sites in the United States and Canada to now bring many famous vistas and features to the screens of…

[From The Escapist, where the story includes a 2:17 minute video; a 0:57 BBC News report is available here, an 8:51 minute video is here, and the AquaTop Display web site is here] Researchers Combine a Kinect and a Bathtub to Create a Gaming Surface Using the Microsoft Kinect, a projector, and a bath, several Japanese researchers have created an interactive display surface. Josh Engen | 29 November 2013 Several researchers from the Koike Laboratory at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo have created an interactive surface by combining a Kinect with a small basin of water.…

[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…