[From The Guardian] Formula One fine tuning is now being driven by virtual reality Williams’ Susie Wolff and double Le Mans winner Allan McNish explain how simulation is key to staying ahead of the pack Gemma Briggs, The Guardian Sunday 10 March 2013 When Albert Park opens for qualifying on Saturday morning, it is easy to imagine that Formula One headquarters around the world will be deserted of staff. Yet teams of engineers and drivers will be hard at work simulating race settings with the help of their virtual cars. ‘Sims’ are a key development tool in the arsenal of…

[From The Huffington Post, where the story includes a 3:16 minute video] Volio Partners With Esquire For App That Turns Any Expert Into A Human Siri Bianca Bosker Posted: 03/21/2013 A growing number of virtual assistants, like Siri, have charmed the world with their human characteristics — they can speak, crack jokes and even get mad. But Volio, a startup headed by Nuance co-founder Ronald Croen, is flipping that idea on its head with technology that uses artificial intelligence to give humans the characteristics of virtual assistants. With Volio’s product, anyone from Oprah to Obama could be summoned instantly on…

[From Fast Company’s co.CREATE, where the story includes additional images; a subtitled version of the App trailer is available from BobbyBoermans.com] The Second Screen Comes To The Movies With App-Enhanced Film, “App” The new Dutch thriller App incorporates a synchronized second-screen application into the story line. By: Paula Bernstein March 15, 2013 It’s rare that moviegoers are encouraged to fiddle with their smartphones during a film, but that’s the case with App, the new Dutch movie directed by Bobby Boermans. Before going to see the film, moviegoers are asked to download a free app (available for Android and iPhone) to…

[From MD+DI’s DeviceTalk blog; more information about Monday Mornings (producer/writer David E. Kelley’s series based on a novel by Sanjay Gupta, MD), is available from TNT] Telemedicine Robot Takes the Spotlight in “Monday Mornings” Surgeon Drama on TNT Posted: March 19, 2013 By Arundhati Parmar, Senior Editor, MD+DI It’s not everyday that a device used in the medical field gets to play a starring role in a TV drama. And yet that is precisely what InTouch Health’s telemedicine robot – the RP 7i – achieved in a new TNT drama called Monday Mornings. The show’s name is a reference to…

[From Springwise] Virtual interviewer offers practice and feedback for job candidates Jizen is a tool for job candidates to help them prepare by monitoring physiological signs during a virtual interview, with the aim of training them to control their body language. 18th March 2013 in Life Hacks Spotted by: Alexia M We’ve already seen interviews being conducted remotely over video streaming through the Ovia platform, potentially providing a more relaxing experience for candidates. Now Jizen is a tool to help them prepare by monitoring physiological signs during a virtual interview, with the aim of training them to control their body…

[From IEEE Spectrum’s Automaton blog] Japanese Robot Actroid Gets More Social, Has No Fear of Crowds Posted by: Angelica Lim  /  Mon, March 18, 2013 Actroid-SIT, a lifelike robot from Japanese firm Kokoro, hasn’t received as much attention as her cousin  Geminoid F, which happens to be a copy a real woman. But while Geminoid F is a teleoperated robot, Actroid-SIT can function autonomously, talking and gesturing while interacting with people. In fact, researchers have recently demonstrated how improvements to Actroid’s behavior can make it look smarter and more expressive than your average android. Actroid now makes eye contact and…

[From InventorSpot; follow the link at the end for much more information] [Image: A close approximation of what you’ll imagine.] Deep Sea Turns Virtual Reality Into Virtual Terror by Nicholas.Greene March 18, 2013 Human beings have a primal, unshakable fear of the unknown. It’s something that’s been hard-coded into us by evolution: back when we were all living in the treetops, the dark places of the world held a whole host of predators ready to tear us limb from limb; the deep night was one of the most dangerous times of day. The most skilled, masterful horror artists use this…

[From NewsWorks; much more information including images and a video is available via the Fels Planetarium here] With new production, Franklin Institute offers passport ‘To Space and Back’ March 18, 2013 By Peter Crimmins, @petercrimmins For the first time in 12 years, the Franklin Institute has made a new movie for its planetarium. “To Space and Back” is a 28-minute, high-definition video showing how technologies developed for space exploration  — from GPS devices to motorcycle helmets — are directly influencing how people live on Earth. The mix of computer animation and live-action photography projects across the entire dome of a…

[From Autonet; for more information see the press release “3M Debuts Interactive Virtual Presenter at South by Southwest Interactive; Digital Interactive Avatar Helps Conference Attendees Find Panels & More” at BusinessWire] Virtual reality: at a dealership near you Known as a “Virtual Presenter,” she was developed by a company called ELEAD in order to generate leads for dealerships. Part iRobot, part salesperson, expect to see this lady at your local dealership in the very near future. March 12th, 2013- Jack Kazmierski The next time you stop by your local dealership, don’t be surprised if this attractive woman greets you and…

[From PCGamesN] The strange case of the Valve economist and the Virtual Reality contact lenses 12 March 2013 • Story by: Tim Edwards Valve’s resident economist Yanis Varoufakis has told a very strange story. It involves an underground lab, virtual reality technology which is far beyond anything currently on the market, and aliens. And we can’t tell if he’s making it all up or not. Writing in Greek paper Lifo, a paper not known for publishing fiction, Varoufakis writes of visiting an underground lab, the location of which he is forbidden from revealing, where he was able to wear a…

[From Linus Edwards’ VintageZen blog, where the post includes images for each proposed set exhibit] The Movie Set Museum by Linus Edwards March 11, 2013 I’ve had this idea percolating in my brain for awhile now – a museum that consists entirely of sets from famous movies. Each room in the museum would be a different movie set, made to replicate the actual feeling of being in that movie. Patrons would walk from room to room, at one moment being in The Godfather, and the next in Star Wars. I think the genesis of the idea came from when I…

[From The University of Buffalo News Center; a 2:01 minute video is available on YouTube] First-of-its-kind forklift simulator could reduce injuries, deaths By Cory Nealon Release Date: March 8, 2013 BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tactus Technologies has developed a first-of-its-kind virtual reality training program for forklift operators, a product that company officials expect will reduce work-related injuries and deaths. The program, called the 3D Forklift Trainer, allows operators to practice with a video game-like system that features a steering wheel, joystick, pedals and simulated environments such as warehouses, elevators and railroad tracks. The simulator arose from a need to improve operator…