[From Digital Trends; full details including a 7:27 minute video are available from Dolby here] Dolby Atmos surround sound technology could transform video games Dolby Laboratories introduces Dolby Atmos, surround sound that can create terrifyingly realistic noise environments. April 24, 2012 By Anthony John Agnello Dolby Laboratories wants to scare the crap out of you. The famous sound system designer unveiled its latest surround sound technology on Monday, and its implications for entertainment, particularly horror, are hair-raising. Dolby Atmos will be implemented first in movie theaters but the goal is to eventually bring the technology into the home where it…

[From Mashable; short videos are available here and here] Dr. Roboto? Interactive Teddy Bear Helps Kids Manage Diabetes April 27, 2012 by Lauren Hockenson Name: Jerry the Bear Big Idea: Jerry the Bear is a robotic teddy bear that “has” diabetes. Children are able to take care of Jerry by checking his blood glucose levels, giving him “insulin shots” and “feeding” him a variety of foods. Why It’s Working: Targeted specifically to children living with type 1 diabetes, Jerry helps sick kids not only learn about the procedures that are performed on them daily but also empowers them to understand…

[From PSFK] Bilingual Robot Receptionist Helps University Students In Both English & Arabic By Lamya Hussain on April 30, 2012 Researchers at the University of Carnegie Mellon in Qatar have created a prototype of a bilingual robot that is both effective and articulate while communicating with people. The “roboreceptionist” is able to answer the phone and note important messages. It is also able to direct visitors and students to different locations on campus and provide information on the weather. It is proficient in both English and Arabic making it accessible to the local population in the region. For more on…

[A press release from Altadyn via Market Wire; background information including role of “sense of presence” is available at the Altadyn web site here] ALTADYN® Adds Third Dimension to Facebook® IRVINE, CA–(Marketwire – Apr 27, 2012) – Social Movie Watching in Your 3D Virtual Home, Social Photo Viewing of Your Holiday Pics During a Facebook® Hangout With Friends and 3D Immersive Social Gaming Are Among Enabled Apps, Thanks to ALTADYN®‘s Patent Pending Platform ALTADYN® the leading provider of 3D web technology, today announced a new development platform. Offered in PaaS mode (Platform as a Service) on the cloud, the new…

[From Gizmodo] These Creepy Dolls Are Actually Real Humans By Sam Biddle Apr 20, 2012 Even if these were toys, [they’d] be super, super unsettling to look at. The dead eyes. The bleached skin. The lack of any discernible genitalia. But they’re flesh and blood humans, transformed into terrifying figurines [the photos are at the “Portraits & Fashion” link]. Photographer Hayden Wood’s brilliantly strange new project “Living Dolls,” shows off his career as an advertising and photo manipulation pro. Only now he’s advertising the Uncanny Valley instead of… things. Barbie and Ken, the quintessential image of friendliness and love, are…

[From Wired’s Danger Room blog] Darpa to Troubled Soldiers: Meet Your New Simulated Therapist By Katie Drummond April 20, 2012 The Pentagon hasn’t made much progress in solving the PTSD crisis plaguing this generation of soldiers. Now it’s adding new staff members to the therapy teams tasked with spotting the signs of emotional pain and providing therapy to the beleaguered. Only this isn’t a typical hiring boost. The new therapists, Danger Room has learned, will be computer-generated “virtual humans,” used to offer diagnostics, and programmed to appear empathetic.

[From The Institute for Creative Technologies; a 1:09 minute video is here] Out of the Box: USC Researchers Debut Smartphone 3-D Virtual Reality Viewer Made Out of Cardboard Easy-to-assemble fold-out viewer transforms smartphones into portable immersive virtual reality systems. First 100 do-it-yourself VR viewers being distributed at IEEE Virtual Reality Conference in Orange County, March 4 – 8 March 05, 2012 Smart phones have endless applications that keep users connected to the real world. But researchers from the Mixed Reality (MxR) Lab at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies are developing ways to use these ubiquitous devices…

[From Fast Company’s Co.Design, where the story includes several images and a 2:38 minute video] Heady Gadget Lets You Simulate An Out-Of-Body Experience If the soul left the body, what would that feel like? Many religions claim that the body is just a vessel for the soul. And at death, the soul doesn’t die, but it leaves the body to go somewhere else. How would that moment feel? Obviously, there’s really no way to know. Or is there? Faith Condition, by Lukas Franciszkiewicz, is an ongoing project that explores the role of technology in the future of faith. His initial…

[From Jason Godfrey’s blog Big Smile No Teeth at The Star Online] The final frontier? When models have to compete with video game characters for jobs, it’s time for a re-think. By Jason Godfrey Sunday April 22, 2012 It’s tough being a model and it only gets tougher. Not only is competition among models for jobs incredibly fierce, but now models are competing against computers too. Yep, this could be to modelling what Deep Blue beating Kasparov was to chess, but way less mentally straining. April’s issue of Arena Homme features Prada’s new spring/summer collection as modelled entirely by characters…

[From The New York Daily News, where the story includes a 1:26 minute video] [Image: Susan Watts/New York Daily News] Bloomingdale’s virtual reality windows let shoppers try on shades without wearing them System gives a screen test on how you’ll look with the latest designer eyewear By Gina Salamone / New York Daily News Thursday, April 19, 2012 Window shopping is taking on a new meaning at Bloomingdale’s. As they get ready for summer, busy New Yorkers now can try on sunglasses without stepping inside the store. Virtual-reality technology projects designer shades onto shoppers who simply stand in front of the…

[From VentureBeat] TourWrist’s 360-degree panoramas add another dimension April 18, 2012 Heather Kelly Remember virtual reality tours, those 360-degree panoramic photos you could navigate with your mouse? They were hot for a while, popping up on every real estate agent and hotel site, but the low quality and jerky navigation made them feel antiquated and oh-so Web 1.0. TourWrist began reviving the art form last year by taking it mobile and adding a slick user interface. Now the company is taking the images further with an update to its iPhone and iPad app, new APIs and SDKs, and neat interactivity features,…

[From The Guardian’s GrrlScientist blog; watch the 8:32 minute video in HD on YouTube] Riding the Booster Riding a solid rocket booster up and then down again during a launch of the space shuttle Tuesday 10 April 2012 Here’s a fun little video from NASA: an HD video that shows a stunning view from a solid rocket booster attached to the space shuttle, pushing it up into orbit, and then not attached to the space shuttle, whilst the booster is plunging back to Earth.