[From 3D Focus; James Iliff’s web site features an extensive two part post titled The Conquest of Presence in First-Person Shooters] The rise of consumer-facing smartphone 3D virtual reality US based virtual reality expert James Iliff reports on the rise of smartphone virtual reality applications and why VR will be the next frontier in gaming. Jun 18, 2012 Beyond 3D camera rigs, blockbuster movies, and anaglyph glasses, the 3D scene in Los Angeles has a bustling underground, and a revolution is on the horizon.  The small but tight-knit virtual reality hardware community is striking out against corporate monoliths like Sony…

[From Scotsman.com; details regarding the WA|HH Quantum Sensations ‘drunk’ spray are available at Gizmodo; see LBBOnline for more on the Mariah Carey holographic appearances] Chitra Ramaswamy: Virtual reality, but not quite Published on Sunday 24 June 2012 Life, eh? Just when you think things can’t get any sillier than a £16 spray that simulates the feeling of being drunk when sprayed down one’s gullible gullet (note: this is not a joke), you discover that being dead is no longer an obstacle to, well, living. Or at least making money. I’m talking about holograms, people. Not the kind you find on…

[From Phys.org, where the story includes more images and two videos] Canon’s Mixed Reality System may speed design cycles June 23, 2012 by Nancy Owano (Phys.org) — Canon this week announced a new augmented reality system—headset and software. The new system is to allow virtual prototypes to replace physical ones. Three-dimensional computer generated images can instantly change based on the user’s movements. The Mixed Reality (MR) System is being initially promoted as an industrial design tool where, for example, the head-set-wearing user gets to see a computer-generated image of a car on a set of real tires, all in realtime.…

[From The Japan Times; a 3:26 minute video is available here and the full research report is here] Riken develops system blurring line between virtual and reality Jiji June 28, 2012 The Riken research institute says it has developed a “substitutional reality” system to study how the brain works when people become confused about the reality of what they perceive. In an experiment using the system, subjects could not tell the difference between real-life scenes and recorded ones displayed on special head-mounted gear, according to an article by Riken published in the British journal Scientific Reports.…

[From TekGoblin] Different Types of Immersion and How They Work Posted by Daniel Moeller June 25, 2012 In virtual-reality speak, ‘immersion’ can mean a number of different things. Ever taken a look at the Matrix, and thought about what it might mean for us? Rene Descartes was one of the first to ask this question – if we’re totally ‘immersed’ in an environment where all sense stimuli are artificially produced and fed to us, how could we distinguish that environment from external reality? Immersion is a critical concept in game design, and it comes in four main flavors. In this…

[From The Hollywood Reporter, where the story includes more images and links to videos and related stories] [Illustration: Kagan McLeod] Marilyn Monroe Hologram Concert in the Works Amid Growing Controversy The trend ignited by a Tupac Shakur resurrection in the desert portends rights battles of epic proportions. 5/31/2012 by Eriq Gardner This story originally appeared in the June 8 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. When Tupac Shakur took the stage in hologram form at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April, hundreds of thousands of onlookers reveled in seeing one of hip-hop’s greatest performers seemingly brought back…

[From The Wall Street Journal, where the story includes a slideshow, an interactive graphic and a 5 minute video] Next Cameras Come Into View Experimental Device Has a Billion Pixels, Can Zoom In After a Photo Is Taken By Gautam NaikK Updated June 21, 2012 Scientists at Duke University have built an experimental camera that allows the user—after a photo is taken—to zoom in on portions of the image in extraordinary detail, a development that could fundamentally alter the way images are captured and viewed. The new camera collects more than 30 times as much picture data as today’s best…

[From The New York Times Magazine, where eight portraits are featured; more information and portraits are available on John Clang’s web site] Futuristic Family Reunions Be Here Now Julie Bosman June 1, 2012 In Singapore, it is a common practice for entire families to gather on special occasions for a formal picture, often at a studio, with the resulting image framed and prominently displayed at home. The growing tendency of younger family members to take jobs abroad, however, has left many modern portraits missing a relation or two. So the Singaporean photographer John Clang devised a solution, piggybacking on the…

[From Digital Trends] Instaglasses always let you see the world in vintage filters You practically Instagram everything you see anyway, so why not alter your vision to feel like you’re on Instagram 24/7? June 21, 2012 By Natt Garun Let’s admit it: Some of you are total Instagram addicts. You can’t seem to take pictures without the need to add filters and make them look cooler, and photos without the edits just seem bland and… oh, so contemporary. If you’re so in love with vintage photographic filters, why not see the world in them? That’s the idea behind the Instaglasses…

[From The Telegraph; more information is available from the BBC] [Image: BBC R&D have been developing acoustics that can trick the listener into believing they are really at events such as concerts with sound coming from every direction – even above and below. Photo: Getty.] BBC is developing 3D radio Engineers at the BBC are developing new technology to broadcast radio and television programmes with three-dimensional sound. By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent 10 Jun 2012 Three-dimensional television may only just have arrived, but engineers at the BBC are already working on the next step – 3D radio. Researchers at the…

[From The University of Central Florida] [Image: A “cool girl” greets a student in the school hallway. Photo courtesy of Virtually Better, Inc.)] Avatars May Help Children With Social Anxiety Researchers looking for 8- to 12-year-olds to participate in study By Chad Binette June 12, 2012 A principal standing in the hallway says, “You are one of my favorite students!” In class, a smart girl says, “You are the nicest person in our class!” Many children would smile and eagerly return those compliments, but some with social anxiety may be too terrified to respond. Researchers at the University of Central…

[From CNET’s Crave blog, where the post includes another image and a 1:09 minute video] [Image: A visitor to Dan Chen’s “Last Moment Hospital” interacts with the Last Moment Robot. Credit: Dan Chen] Last Moment Robot: ‘End of life detected’ Imagine drawing your final breath in the sole company of a talking machine: “I am here to comfort you. You are not alone, you are with me.” by Leslie Katz June 5, 2012 As a woman lies on a mattress on the floor, a small white machine attached to her outstretched right arm offers the following words: I am the…