[This compelling first-person report from the Toronto Star describes the rapid evolution and great potential, along with some of the practical challenges, of developing and adopting presence-evoking technology for surgical performance and training. See the original story for four more images. –Matthew] [Image: Ben Sainsbury, CEO of Marion Surgical, tests out the 5G capabilities of its virtual reality module that can help surgeons practice surgical techniques. Credit: MaRS] The virtual cutting edge: How augmented reality is poised to transform surgery Futuristic tools are revolutionizing health care, with everything from virtual reality simulators to 3D holographic body imaging. Will Canada embrace…

[Digital humans are becoming more realistic and convincing, cheaper to create and maintain, and prevalent in different aspects of people’s lives, as reported in this story from China Daily (see Wikipedia for cautions about the outlet’s editorial biases). See the original story for a second image and coverage in DAO Insights for more about Baidu’s companionship-oriented virtual beings Lin Kaikai and Ye Youyou. –Matthew] [Image: A visitor takes pictures of a digital human during the fifth World Artificial Intelligence Conference, or WAIC, in Shanghai on September 1, 2022] AI humans to play increased economic role Powered by tech advances, avatars…

[Immersive experiences don’t necessarily evoke presence experiences, but the concepts are clearly related. If you’ll be in Philadelphia this fall you might want to check out “WAITING ROOM – Immersive Art for Wellbeing,” an exhibit from The Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health. The story below from Technical.ly (where the original includes three more images) provides a first-person report on the exhibit as well as interview segments with curator Lyn Godley. Much more information, including a virtual view of the works, is available on the HOT BED gallery’s website. Here’s an extended excerpt: “Merging Art, Technology, and Science Research…

[Fast Company reports on a new augmented reality app feature offered by the retail giant Walmart that produces more realistic, personalized images (illusions) of the user wearing virtual clothing. See the original story for three different images and a 43 second video. A BestLife story reports on privacy and other concerns being expressed about the feature. And CNBC has a story about related efforts by Walmart to take advantage of emerging presence-evoking technologies to attract (especially younger) shoppers. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Walmart] Walmart rolls out a new AR feature to let you try on clothing virtually The retailer, which already…

[This story from the University of California, Santa Cruz describes the experience of three alumni who are developing a new (presence-evoking) platform for remote physical therapy. See the original story for a second image and a 2:09 minute video, and follow the link at the end for much more information. –Matthew] Three UC Santa Cruz alums are revolutionizing telehealth with their virtual reality physical therapy platform By Melissa Weckerle September 23, 2022 Incorporating values of tech for social good, inclusivity, and accessibility, three UC Santa Cruz alumni founded Immergo Labs to develop the world’s first virtual and interactive telehealth platform…

[This story from The Guardian reports on trends in the use of virtual reality at theme parks, including the increasing focus on interactivity and customization, from the 2022 London conference of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). See the original story for two more images and the IAAPA website for much more information. For coverage of a related development, see the Theme Park Insider story “Disney Files Patent for Augmented Reality Ride Without Glasses.” –Matthew] [Image: Bumper car riders wearing VR headsets, at the IAAPA expo in London. Credit: Linda Nylind/The Guardian] ‘Each guest experience will be…

[A new study described in this story from Pain News Network demonstrated the ability of virtual reality (and arguably presence) to distract and calm surgery patients so that they could be given lower doses of anesthesia. See a press release via EurekAlert! and the new article published in PLOS ONE for more details. –Matthew] [Image: Figure 2 from the study in PLOS ONE: A) Image of a study patient using the VR equipment. B) Screenshot of a typical immersive environment with an example of text communication from study personnel. The text in B says “Surgery is going great! Try to stay…

[The technology to create convincing videos of any person saying whatever words you supply is evolving quickly, as described in this story from TechCrunch about the latest platform by the company D-ID. The original story includes a second image and a short demonstration video (also available on YouTube). For more information see the D-ID website and YouTube channel. –Matthew] D-ID, the company behind Deep Nostalgia, lets you create AI-generated videos from a single image By Ivan Mehta September 19, 2022 Israeli AI company D-ID, which provided technology for projects like Deep Nostalgia, is launching a new platform where users can…

[Reminiscent of a well-acted scene from Star Trek: The Next Generation in which the android Data is given a ‘gift’ of laughter (see Laughing Squid for details and the video clip), researchers in Japan are training a robot to recognize and share laughter during conversations with humans. The details are in this story from The Guardian, with supplements from coverage in CNET. For an interview with Divesh Lala, a member of the research team, and a 3:16 minute video (also on YouTube) see a story in the Hindustan Times. –Matthew] [Image: Erica being trained on how to have a sense…

[This CNN review of the first officially licensed NFL football game for virtual reality doesn’t explicitly mention, but is all about, spatial and social presence. See the original story for three more images. A review from Yahoo! includes this assessment: “As someone who, in my youthful days, played the position, I can attest that it’s the closest I have come to feeling like I was playing the game again. I literally rolled out and threw a touchdown, and it felt realistic, to say the least. I also almost rolled out into a wall, so make sure you’ve got some room.”…

[Here’s a long but breezy and interesting update from The New York Times on what it’s like to date (and more) in presence-evoking virtual reality. Visit the original version to listen to the story, see a second image and follow links to more about the metaverse. –Matthew] ‘Phantom Touch’ and the (Real) Pleasures of Virtual Dating Just a girl looking for love in the metaverse. By Madeleine Aggeler Published August 18, 2022; Updated August 24, 2022 On our first date, CC and I met on a floating platform suspended in the middle of a distant galaxy. As with much space…

[This link-filled report from the World Economic Forum describes the increasing use of presence-evoking VR and AR for shopping.  See the original story for two more images and three videos. –Matthew] [Image: Hugo Boss customers can try on clothes using an avatar based on their own measurements. Credit: Hugo Boss] How many consumers are shopping in virtual reality and what can it offer them? By Simon Read, Senior Writer, Formative Content August 23, 2022 More of us are turning to virtual reality (VR) to do our shopping – and it is a switch that could signal big changes in the…