[This brief story from Upworthy describes the extensive efforts of marine biologist Erika Woolsey to use presence-evoking technology, including what the non-profit institution she founded identifies as Shared, Synchronized, Immersive Reality Experiences (SSIRE), to build public understanding, empathy and action regarding the Earth’s oceans and ocean life. See the original version of the story for six different vivid images and two videos, and see the Hydrous website for much more information. –Matthew] [Image: Manta Ray Eden: “This first iteration of our shared, synchronized, immersive reality experiences brought audience members at National Geographic’s virtual reality theater under the waters of Palau…

[This inspiring story from the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering is a reminder that presence experiences can and should be made available to everyone. See the original version for a 1:31 minute video (also available on YouTube). –Matthew] Haylee Mota Can Only See Light and Shadows. Yet She Sees So Much More. USC Viterbi sophomore reimagines telepresence robots for the visually impaired By Omar Lewis September 29, 2022 Haylee Mota remembers the moment well. She was a curious and inquisitive 7-year-old in awe of the spaceships, rockets and fighter jets at the National Air and Space Museum…

[In this post from Psychology Today’s The Future of Intimacy blog, clinical psychologist and sex therapist Marianne Brandon provides vivid descriptions of spatial and social presence in both non-sexual and sexual contexts (e.g., “your body bypasses your thoughts, taking its marching orders from your senses”), and highlights key questions about the promise and peril of experiences of intimacy via virtual reality. –Matthew] [Image: Source: KDdesignphoto/Shutterstock] When the Voyeur Enters the Scene: The Promise of Virtual Reality Porn VR porn may be more impactful than 2D porn in a variety of ways. By Marianne Brandon Ph.D., The Future of Intimacy Reviewed…

[I capitalized the word ‘could’ in the headline of this story from The Guardian because much of the coverage of a new, short opinion piece in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood co-authored by Ananya Arora and Anmol Arora of the University of Cambridge suggests that the publication is a research study and gives the conclusions great weight. Even the co-authors note positive effects of voice assistants and steps Amazon has taken to minimize negative effects on children. A EurekAlert! press release from the journal mistakenly identifies only one of the authors and omits some key information. At least…

[This report from the University of Toronto’s student newspaper The Varsity summarizes a recent faculty panel discussion about “virtual reality and life”; in addition to raising some interesting issues and questions it demonstrates the relevance of presence-evoking technologies across diverse disciplines. –Matthew] [Image: Professor Karina Vold led the discussion on VR with six professors from various departments. Credit: Courtesy of Prof. Karina Vold] Virtual reality and the future of society September Soiree in Technophilosophy asks questions about VR and life By Jevan Konyar and Sahir Dhalla October 2, 2022 It takes great vision and knowledge to tackle questions as vast…

[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…