[Today’s post contains three very different but interesting short news stories about presence. –Matthew] [From AdNews; see the original version (or YouTube) for the 90 second ad] ‘Children Should Be Seen and Heard’ in a poignant ad industry-backed campaign Creative Agency: Zenith March 1, 2023 MissingSchool, Cocogun, Scoundrel, Rumble, UnLtd and Zenith have teamed up with their latest campaign ‘Don’t you forget about me’, to reconnect seriously sick kids with school. The integrated campaign features a rousing children’s chorus covering the ’80s hit Don’t You (Forget About Me) by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds. The ad shows sick children…

[The CNET story below provides a quick, context-filled first-person report on a demonstration of the latest presence-evoking hologram technology from Light Field Lab. See the original story for four more images and a 6:09 minute video. The author of a similar report in Forbes writes that “If I wasn’t visiting a company that makes holographic technology, I would have thought I was speaking with a person wearing a mask – it looked that real.“ See coverage in PC Magazine for more images and videos as well as details, including Light Field Labs’ expectations regarding when we’ll start seeing the displays…

[A sad but important application of presence is the topic of a 2:16 minute Voice of America report (also available via YouTube). Here is the VOA text that introduces the story: “The U.S.-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation held an exhibition February 22 in Washington dedicated to the war in Ukraine. The traveling exhibit “War Up Close” uses virtual reality to show the horrors of the Russian invasion of its neighbor. Karina Bafradzhian has the story. Camera: Andrey Degtyarev.” A description of the War Up Close Project from the About page of its website is below; visit the site for examples…

[WTHR 13 in Indianapolis, Indiana reports on a local company using presence-evoking virtual reality to improve mental health and create “science-based stress relief” for police officers (and others). See the original story for a second image and a 1:40 minute video report (also available via YouTube). For more information see the Peak Mind website. –Matthew] Tech company uses virtual reality to help IMPD officers reduce stress Peak Mind uses science, software, virtual reality and biometric data to improve mental health in the workplace. By Jennie Runevitch February 27, 2023 INDIANAPOLIS — All of us experience stress at work, but that’s…

[The development of a soft “electronic skin” that can “both detect and deliver the sense of touch” has, as this news release from City University of Hong Kong notes, “great potential for enhancing the immersion of distance touch communication.” The fact that such communication could be both one-to-one or one-to-many adds intriguing possibilities. See the original version of the story for three more pictures and see the new publication in Science Advances for more details. –Matthew] [Image: Figure 1A from the researchers’ article in Science Advances showing the design and architecture of a self-sensing and haptic-reproducing e-skin.] CityU develops wireless,…

[The case of Instagram photographer Jos Avery illustrates both another new way artificial intelligence can be used to evoke misperceptions about the role of technology in an experience and the ethical issues raised by the deception. This story is from My Modern Net, where the original version includes many examples of Avery’s portraits; see the linked Ars Technica and PetaPixel stories for more details. Coverage in Bored Panda adds this complication: “[Y]ou can see the copyright of the photographer on all the photos – but it is likely that he will have to remove it soon – after all, the…

[An academic and industry collaboration has produced what may be a practical way to add haptic illusions to presence experiences, as reported in this news release from Rice University. See the original version for two more images and a 4:30 minute video (also available via YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: Tabsi, a mechatronic bracelet. Credit: MAHI Lab/Rice University] Hands-free tech adds realistic sense of touch in extended reality Tactile bracelet and ‘pseudo-haptic’ visuals make virtual touch more believable By Jade Boyd February 22, 2023 With an eye toward a not-so-distant future where some people spend most or all of their working hours…

[Texas A&M Today reports on NASA-funded efforts at the University to add smells to virtual reality experiences to enhance presence and help maintain the health of astronauts on long, isolating journeys. See the original story for more images and follow the link to the new article in Acta Astronautica for more details. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Texas A&M Engineering] Stop And Smell The Roses — From Outer Space Researchers at Texas A&M are looking at how multisensory virtual reality can support astronauts during future long-duration missions. By Felysha Walker, Texas A&M University College of Engineering January 19, 2023 Astronauts are heading…

[This post from The Conversation by an expert observer describes how a recent change in the software behind the artificially intelligent “companions” of Replika demonstrates the impact and implications of emotional presence experiences with virtual characters (see the original version for more images). A similar perspective can be found in a post in the UK’s UnHerd, which concludes with this: “AI technology is improving rapidly. As this happens, the quality of social simulation offered by chatbots will follow, allowing users to forget they are interacting with a programme which a company hopes it can use to extract money. As our…

[While acknowledging the use of the conversational AI ChatGPT technology to compose an important message is more ethical than concealing its use, the reaction to a message from the Deans of the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development regarding the recent shootings and deaths at Michigan State University confirms that there are some contexts in which presence-evoking technologies are not acceptable. The story below from The Vanderbilt Hustler provides details, and a follow-up story has the headline, “Peabody EDI deans to temporarily step back following ChatGPT-crafted message about MSU…

[The “erratic” and “creepy” responses to users testing Microsoft’s new conversational AI feature for its Bing search service are receiving a lot of press coverage. Some examples of the AI’s behavior are provided in the Fast Company story and excerpts from other coverage below. The most dramatic case seems to be the one reported by New York Times technology reporter Kevin Roose after a “bewildering and enthralling two hours talking to Bing’s A.I.” – the excerpts from his report make clear that the fast-evolving technology is evoking a disturbing form of medium-as-social-actor presence even for people with extensive experience with…