[Apologies for the personal and lengthy introduction to this post. When a person who is close to us, or as many of us know, a pet, dies, even when the death is expected, we feel not only sadness and loss but a profound sense of disruption. We stop, cry, and dwell on the significant change that has occurred in our reality. Most people have felt a less intense version of this response when the death is of someone they’ve only known through media – a favorite actor or actress, musical artist or person in the news. Scholars have labelled the…

[Evolving technologies including generative AI have made it easier and increasingly effective for bad human actors to create and distribute messages that purposely deceive, manipulate and harm other humans (for example, altered or created images, voice cloned phone calls, deepfake videos, etc.). Now we also need to worry about non-human actors using presence (i.e., misleading us about the role of technology in our experience) pursuing the same goals on their own. The abridged version below of a post on the blog of the UK government’s AI Security Institute (AISI) describes how in a recent test new AI models demonstrated the…

[This essay from The Pharmaceutical Journal describes many of the potential benefits of using presence-evoking technologies rather than just in-person experiences for recruiting and training workers, in this case in the context of manufacturing medicines in the UK. See the original version for a collage of three more images. –Matthew] [Image: An example of an immersive virtual reality experience to introduce students to the world of cell and gene therapy manufacturing] Virtual reality holds the promise of filling medicines manufacturing workforce gaps Will virtual reality technology enable the UK to meet the demands of training in the pharmaceutical industry and…

[Cars are increasingly being designed to create presence-evoking experiences, as reported in this story from StereoNET (where the original includes six more images). For more details see the press release via Business Wire. –Matthew] Your Next Car Could Become an Immersive Gaming Arena Cinemo and SmashLabs are developing an in-car gaming platform that brings vehicle audio, lighting, haptics and even climate systems into the action. By Jason SextonJuly 28, 2026 Cars already stream music, movies (and in some cases), games, but Cinemo and SmashLabs want to take the next step by making the vehicle itself part of the entertainment.…

[In a new paper, a large international team of researchers argues that the ability of virtual reality “to immerse [study] participants in hyper-realistic environments and control that environment down to the most minute detail”- and evoke presence and responses similar to those in nonmediated settings – means VR has immense potential to advance research on human behavior. But the team writes that that can only happen if researchers adopt rigorous and standardized practices such as the protocols they propose. The news release below from Dublin City University (and also available from University College London (UCL); the University of California, Merced…

[The decades-long pursuit of, and prognostication about, mainstream commercial success for presence-evoking virtual reality continues; here’s a cautiously optimistic assessment by two experts on VR and sport from the Sports Business Journal. In addition to the link in the story, visit the Dayholi website for more about that VR company and the SailGP website for more about that sailing league’s VR and XR innovations. –Matthew] [Image: Tech-driven SailGP events keep spectators engaged with real-time, graphical overlays of the competition. Credit: Getty Images] Opinion Virtual reality: Not dead, just still ahead of its time By Rick Burton, the David B. Falk…

[A promising application of presence-evoking technologies externalizes the destructive inner voice people with eating disorders (and other conditions) hear as a digital avatar, allowing patients to confront and banish the voice. This abridged version of a story from The Sunday Times describes the treatment process; note references to the patients suspending disbelief, feeling transported, and the experience seeming real. See the original version of the story for five more pictures and links to other related stories. The research report for the study is available via medRxiv. –Matthew] [Image: Illustration by lou kiss] I cured my eating disorder using virtual reality…

[The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has a team dedicated specifically to creating immersive media experiences that raise awareness and help “alleviate suffering for those affected by conflict.” This article from the ICRC website describes the team’s mission, origins and evolution, and identifies some of its productions; in addition to the links in the article, see the website for six embedded short videos that provide more details about the productions. –Matthew] The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Immersive Technology (ImmTech) team: See What We See. Understand What We Do. July 7, 2026 The ICRC Immersive Technology…

[A very positive application of presence to improve the design of products and spaces is described in two stories below; the first, from The CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Universe, provides an overview, and the second, from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, provides additional details. For information on many other presence-related projects at the University of Canterbury’s Human Interface Technology (HIT) Lab, visit the Lab’s Research page. –Matthew] [Image: UC Mechanical Engineering student Julio Messenger (left) and Henry Ward with Dr George Stilwell and Associate Professor Shayne Gooch. Source: University of Canterbury] Researchers Use Virtual Reality to Advance Disability-Inclusive…

[Quickly evolving technologies are making it possible to have ever more vivid and realistic presence experiences in which we interact not only with other people but with our future self, with potentially valuable impacts, as illustrated in new work by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law. This story is from Germany‘s DW (Deutsche Welle); for more details, listen to the 30 minute episode of the Science unscripted podcast titled “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Unai Huizi/imageBROKER/picture alliance] Can VR help you achieve your goals? A Max…

[Ermo Säks explores how cinematic virtual reality, in which film and video are presented to viewers in 360 degrees, “helps people become accustomed to virtual reality, spatial media and other emerging immersive environments that are highly engaging and alter one’s perception of reality.” This story from Tallin University (also available via Phys.org) describes his dissertation, which is available via the link at the end. –Matthew] A doctoral thesis examined what happens when the cinema screen is no longer in front of the viewer, but the viewer is instead inside the film’s narrative Until now, most films have been shown on…

[We return from a break with this story about new mixed reality apps that help users learn and practice the physical movements, and to develop the psychological confidence, needed for dancing with a partner. The story is from NPR, where the original includes a second image and an audio version. Follow the links to the apps for more information, images and videos. –Matthew] [Image: Entrepreneur David Huang tests out a VR headset while conducting demonstrations of the social dance lesson app Dance Guru at the Augmented World Expo in Long Beach, Calif., June 17, 2026. Credit: Chloe Veltman/NPR] Shy on…