[From the Reporter blog of Imperial College London] A Model Patient Sam Wong, Communications and Development 13 May 2011 In the Paterson Wing at St Mary’s Campus, a surgeon tries to stem the flow of blood from a patient who’s been stabbed in the abdomen. As a heart monitor bleeps urgently and fluid continues to emerge, the pressure of the situation is inescapable. Yet the man lying on the operating table is not a man at all, but a very convincing dummy. Simulated operations are increasingly becoming a major part of a surgeon’s training. Virtual reality is commonly used to…

[From the web site of New York’s Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) , which features more information and many images] [Image: Alan Wolfson’s Canal St. Cross-Section, 2009-2010] Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities June 7 – September 18, 2011 Virtual reality has been a powerful factor in shaping our social and artistic environment since the 1970s. Today, innovations in digital technology have completely transformed film, video, and television: extraordinary special effects and three-dimensional imaging created using computer-based software are commonplace. However, while the digital world continues to expand into more and more areas of our lives, a profound human…

[From The National Science Foundation (NSF) , where the story features additional material including a 2:33 minute video] [Image: This is an example of the interactive visualization of proteins from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), using PDB browser software on the C-Wall (virtual reality wall) at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) at the University of California, San Diego. The work was performed by Jürgen P. Schulze, project scientist, in collaboration with Jeff Milton, Philip Weber and Professor Philip Bourne of the University of California, San Diego. The software supports collaborative viewing of proteins at multiple sites on…

[From The U.S. Department of Defense American Forces Press Service] [Image: Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, then commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, now the Army’s chief of staff, discusses the capabilities of remote training with Keith Johnston at the February 2011 Winter Association of the U.S. Army Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Angelica Golindano] Army Warfighters Go Digital to Hone Skills By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 10, 2011 – With more than 1 million service members on active duty in the United States, the military services,…

[From Wired] Old school technology betrays the magic of illusion By Alice Vincent 14 April 2011 An artist has taken augmented reality into a “media archeological” realm with the aid of a salvaged slide projector, retro 3D scenes and an 150-year old optical illusion. Sebastian Schmieg, a Berlin art student, has recently created 81 Points of View, an interactive sculpture which puts the viewer in charge of creating an illusion and “reverses the process of hiding all the technology involved”. The installation makes use of an 19th Century illusion known as Pepper’s Ghost…

[From TWICE (The Week in Consumer Electronics)] Sony 3D Legend Brings Content To Life By Greg Tarr — TWICE, 4/18/2011 CULVER CITY, CALIF. – One of the raps against 3DTV adoption has been a lack of available content, but for a relatively new medium, Hollywood is taking huge strides in eliminating this major concern. Sony Pictures, one of the pioneering studios in 3DTV production, is generously helping to lift the collective consciousness in the 3D content community by sharing knowledge and training with professional filmmakers around the world, regardless of studio affiliation. In a recent visit to the Sony 3D…

[From Cornell University’s Chronicle Online; the article by Professor Edelman is available here] [Image: Shimon Edelman contemplates a spoon, à la “The Matrix”] Psychologist ponders perceived and virtual reality vs. ‘real’ reality By George Lowery President Obama watched Navy SEALs raid the house where Osama bin Laden was killed in “real time,” news outlets reported. Gamers spend their time immersed in fantasy. Our cell phone calls and Skype video chats send us real-time images and sounds that re-create a simultaneously occurring reality. What if realities we take for granted are not, in fact, real?…

[A press release from The University of Nottingham; the story includes a 3:45 minute video] Illusion can halve the pain of osteoarthritis, scientists say 14 Apr 2011 A serendipitous discovery by academics at The University of Nottingham has shown that a simple illusion can significantly reduce — and in some cases even temporarily eradicate — arthritic pain in the hand. By tricking the brain into believing that the painful part of the hand is being stretched or shrunk, the researchers were able to halve the pain felt by 85 per cent of sufferers they tested. The research could point to…

[From Geekosystem, which features two videos] Eye-Tracking Projector Keeps Your Eye on the Game by Max Eddy | May 2nd, 2011 The best way to get really visually sucked into the game you’re playing is to increase screen real estate; get a giant HDTV or a series of monitors. But a team from the University of Texas, Austin has unveiled a clever solution that uses a tiny projector to provide a huge viewing experience. In their demo, presented last week, they combined a tiny, motorized pico projector and an eye-ball tracking system with a parabolic screen. This keeps gamers’ eyes…

[From The Wall Street Journal, which features additional images] A Physical Place of Enchanting Illusion By Jonathan Lopez April 9, 2011 Whenever friends visit the Netherlands, I recommend they go to The Hague to see the Panorama Mesdag, a 360-degree painted view of the beach and dunes at Scheveningen, created in 1881. With so many other sites to see, few people take me up on this suggestion. But those who do always feel they’ve discovered a miraculous secret. Little-known abroad, the Panorama Mesdag is a Dutch national treasure, a magical, monumental painting of astonishing charm and beauty. And it is,…

[From ConnectedAustralia.com] Harvey Norman employs ‘V’, a virtual salesperson By Lorna Brett Posted on: April 11, 2011 One Harvey Norman store in every state has welcomed a new staff member to its team this week; Rowenta’s affectionately nicknamed “V” salesperson, otherwise known as Spyeglass’ Virtual Presenter. Present at Rowenta’s ‘Experiential Lounge Room’ in Sydney last week, ‘V’, a woman holding an iPad while talking about vacuums in Rowenta’s new range, was doing a job normally reserved for a living, breathing salesperson.…

[From Korea JoongAng Daily, where the story includes additional images; more information is available here] [Image: Duplication¡± (2010) by Han Sung-pil is part of his solo show ¡°Dual Realities¡± at Arario Gallery Seoul] Exhibits designed to trick the mind “I’ve always been interested in the relationship between reality and illusion.” -Han Sung-pil April 21, 2011 By Moon So-young  Last week, there was news that the U.S. Postal Service had made a big mistake on a stamp featuring the Statue of Liberty. It turned out that the stamp was not based on a photo of the real statue in New York Harbor…