[An innovative immersive media experience called “Uncanny Alley: A New Day” recently won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Emerging Media Program. Excerpts from coverage by VR.org directly below are followed by a first-person report from The Hollywood Times on what the experience is like – including clear references to presence. See the original version of the latter story for eight more images; more details are available in a press release via EIN Presswire; the trailer for “Uncanny Alley” is available on YouTube. –Matthew] [From VR.org] A Live VRChat Show Won the Emerging Media Emmy Over Blumhouse and Fallout By Nina…

[An expanded, dome-based immersive 25th anniversary version of the film Shrek is said to signal a “potential trend towards more Shared Reality experiences,” as reported in this story from ScreenRant. Excerpts from other coverage follow below. Short promotional videos are available on YouTube and TikTok. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Cosm on Instagram] New Version Of Shrek Movie Officially Releasing 25 Years Later By Hannah GearanSeptember 17, 2026 Shrek is getting new life in a re-release, but in an unexpected format. The fantasy series kicked off a quarter-century ago in 2001. The original movie earned strong critical reviews and a hefty box…

[This analysis from a story in Medscape highlights the many factors involved in successfully adopting new presence-evoking technologies in an application where there’s little margin for error. For related information see the “Dive deeper” feature in the original version. For earlier coverage on this topic see “With innovation of Medical Vision Goggles, no cancer cells left behind” from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and “The future of surgery: Using augmented reality goggles in the operating room” from UC Davis Health. –Matthew] [Image: Source: UC Davis Health] Will Immersive Goggles Change the Way Surgeons Operate? By Silvia C. CarpalloSeptember…

[The description and review of a new presence-evoking virtual reality experience called “Everest: First Ascent” below is from the Immersive Rumours website (see the original review for four different images). More information is available from a press release via EIN Presswire, including this: “Developed with guidance from a scientific advisory board of Himalayan, mountaineering and cultural specialists, Everest: The First Ascent goes beyond the iconic photographs and documentaries that have carried the story across generations.  … Antoine Lieutaud, Founder and CEO of Eclipso, said: ‘Audiences no longer just have to hear or watch the story of the first ever ascent…

[In this essay from blooploop (“the world’s most read news source for visitor attractions professionals”), experts in designing and creating presence-evoking immersive media attractions describe some of the many complex and interacting decisions involved. They argue that the criterion for successful design should not be a single technical specification like image resolution but a system that will produce the desired outcome for the user, “what guests actually experience.” Although it’s not mentioned by name, they make clear that presence is a big part of that outcome. See the original version of the essay for five more images. –Matthew] [Image: Odyssey…

[While discussion often focuses on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, AI is helping to enable important benefits. This news release from the National Institutes of Health in the US describes a new machine-learning powered brain-computer interface that lets people who are paralyzed communicate not only via speech but simultaneously using both speech and physical gestures via an avatar, “more closely replicating natural expression.” For details see the new published study, which includes links to five videos; one 0:56 minute video is available on YouTube. Coverage from Science includes this: “’The authors have taken an important step toward developing highly…

[In this first-person report, the executive editor of Macworld describes his positive presence experiences using the Apple Vision Pro during a dedicated broadcast of a Major League Baseball game. See the original version for two embedded videos. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Foundry] Opinion Apple finally hits a VR home run An immersive baseball game opened my eyes to how incredible Vision Pro actually is. By Michael Simon, Executive Editor, MacworldAugust 31, 2026 I’ve never had a desire to buy a Vision Pro. Even if I had $4,000 to blow at the Apple Store, I’d probably pick up a loaded MacBook Pro…

[As described in a news release from the American College of Cardiology, researchers at UCHealth in Colorado Springs, Colorado used the “immersive visual and auditory experiences” produced by virtual reality to “redirect the patients’ attention away from the scanner environment“ as they were undergoing PET and CT scans for cardiac imaging. The study apparently didn’t measure presence itself and has other limitations, but the positive patient responses and impacts of the intervention suggest its value and are consistent with studies of similar VR interventions in other medical contexts. For more information, watch a 2:50 minute video report from Fox21 News…

[As a fan of Star Trek since childhood, I’m particularly interested in this post from the Neurologica Blog about how the original television series almost exactly six decades ago (and I’d argue the many subsequent series and films) portrayed voice interactions with computers in the distant future. The author points out what many of us have observed, that the portrayal reflect little of the extremely convincing and presence-evoking simulations of human voices becoming common today, and he argues that whether purposely or not, the portrayal may represent a better approach. –Matthew] Perhaps Star Trek’s Computer Voice Makes Sense By Steven…

[Neurofeedback (a type of biofeedback) provides real time visual or auditory cues about a person’s brain activity to help them alter that activity – to ‘train their brain.’ Although it doesn’t directly consider the role of presence, a new meta analysis described in this PsyPost story tentatively indicates that the technique is more effective when the visual and auditory cues are not simple graphs and tones, but vivid and meaningful changes in an immersive virtual or mixed reality experience. Follow the link to the new publication for more details.  –Matthew] [Image: Figure 1 from the research review: The two different…

[Here are two short stories, from Japan’s The Mainichi and the UK’s Travelling for Business, about what sounds like a clever use of telepresence robots at airports in Japan. –Matthew] [Image: An All Nippon Airways Co. staff member (on screen) at Kansai International Airport provides assistance with check-in and other procedures remotely via a Newme robot at Hiroshima Airport in Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Aug. 21, 2026. Credit: Kyodo News via The Mainichi] ANA launches inter-airport remote passenger support via telepresence robots September 6, 2026 OKYO (Kyodo) — All Nippon Airways Co. has begun rolling out telepresence robots enabling skilled…

[This abridged version of a comprehensive essay in Vanity Fair describes how then-new breakthroughs in media technologies and the horrific events of September 11, 2001 “ushered in the age of global simultaneity” and brought billions of people closer to those events, their aftermath, and each other. The author cites two theorists to note potential positive implications of the new technologies – the recognition of our common humanity in an interconnected global community – and negative ones that seem all too prevalent in 2026: the rise of cultures consumed by media spectacle, and uncertainty about, and polarized misperceptions of, reality. See…