[Lufthansa predicts a bright future for the use of virtual and mixed reality-generated presence experiences on its flights, as reported in this story from Travel Weekly. One of the potential benefits noted, overcoming the feeling of small space in the aircraft, seems particularly valuable. Other airlines aren’t as bullish- a lot would seem to depend on how quickly the technology becomes “smaller, more capable and much more common.” Lufthansa has a history of experimenting with presence; for example, see this ISPR Presence News post from August 2018. –Matthew] Lufthansa previews what’s next for in-flight entertainment By Robert SilkNovember 12, 2024…

[Variety reports on a new partnership between Avatar and Titanic filmmaker James Cameron’s company and Meta to produce entertainment for virtual and mixed reality. Cameron writes that the partnership will help navigate “a true, historic inflection point” in the evolution of media; the Meta blog post mentioned in the story puts it this way: “For more than a century, filmmakers have pushed the boundaries of storytelling. MR headsets represent the next step in the evolution of media, enhancing the viewing experience for millions, and utilizing native 3D in the service of traditional and immersive 360-degree environments, along with interactive elements…

[This story from Wired describes a new virtual reality game that enhances several aspects of presence, including putting players inside detailed recreations of specific plays from actual English Premier League soccer games, an approach to game design that will likely be applied to a wide variety of other sports. See the original version of the story for two more images, a video, and an audio version of the story. –Matthew] [Image: A screenshot of the game (L), and featured player Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United (R). Credit: Photo-Illustration: Wired Staff; Rezzil/Getty] A New VR Game Puts You in the Middle…

[Digital pets continue to evolve, with “new AI-enabled virtual pets that can talk, learn, and form genuine connections with their human caretakers.” This story from Forbes focuses on the popular Pengu character, including how it’s designed to promote not just medium-as-social-actor presence but deeper relationships between humans. See the original version of the story for a different image and a 31-minute podcast (also available on YouTube) featuring the author’s interview with the CEO and co-founder of the company that created Pengu. The Pengu app is available in the Google Play and Apple App Stores. –Matthew] The Rise Of AI-Enabled Virtual…

[This story from New York University (NYU) provides a vivid example of how presence-evoking technologies can be more effective than traditional training tools and methods, in this case in the field of dentistry. The flight simulator comparison is a compelling way to emphasize their role and value. Also note (in the last section) the development of more realistic custom controllers to enhance presence. See the original story for five more images. –Matthew] [Image: NYU dental student Kaitlyn Re (right) practices giving an injection alongside fellow student Dhwani Thakkar (left). Credit: Jonathan King] Virtual Reality: A ‘Flight Simulator’ for Dental Students…

[A professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management is exploring another application of presence-evoking virtual reality for enhancing students’ learning experiences, and presumably outcomes. As a doctoral student in this story from Purdue University notes, “I think the biggest gap VR devices can help overcome, especially for HTM students, is the distance between the classroom and the real workplace.” See the original version of the story for five more images. –Matthew] [Image: Shawn Jung, assistant professor in the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, instructs his event planning class before attempting virtual reality exercises last spring in…

[This short essay from How-To Geek provides an important reminder about how far attitudes among the general public have come toward the use of the most well-known presence-evoking technology. See the original version of the story for three more images. –Matthew] Virtual Reality Might Finally Be Socially Acceptable By Sydney Butler, Editor, Hardware and Cutting Edge TechnologyNovember 27, 2024 When I first tried modern VR in 2016, it was a niche technology that drew plenty of mainstream ridicule. Today, things are very different, and no one has to be embarrassed about having a good time in a virtual world anymore.…

[The allure of presence is well-illustrated in this story from the Good News Network, supplemented by text from coverage by The Yorkshire Post. The original versions of both stories include a second image; the Good News Network story includes a 1:52 minute summary video (also available on YouTube) and the story in The Yorkshire Post includes a 1:28 minute video of Craig Cullingworth and Sophie operating the simulator (that video is also available on Facebook). –Matthew] [Image: Credit: SWNS] Dad Who Wanted to be a Pilot Builds Incredible Real-Life Simulator at Home–Now his Daughter’s Obsessed (Watch) By Good News NetworkNovember…

[I doubt any technology on the horizon will be able to fully replicate the experience of eating pumpkin pie with whipped cream or other traditional Thanksgiving dishes, but this story from IEEE Spectrum describes a new device that improves on earlier attempts to enhance presence by adding taste and smell to sight, sound and touch sensations while in virtual and mixed reality environments. See the original version of the story for a second image; see Ars Technica for additional details and a 57-second video; and see November 2013 and March 2017 posts from ISPR Presence News for more information about…

[Researchers from Stanford University and Google DeepMind have demonstrated a new, efficient technique requiring only a two-hour data-gathering interview to replicate the personality of a human being as an AI agent. The story below from MIT Technology Review provides details, including the predictable positive and potentially negative applications of the medium-as-social-actor presence the agents would likely evoke. Coverage in The Register highlights the latter this way: “Why bother? Well, there’s some interest in AI models that behave like specific people, whether that involves repeating things the person said or a more generalized simulacrum that provides responses which seem to be…

[Without using the term itself, this feature article from IBC describes how faster, AI-enabled 6G will enable richer, more compelling presence experiences. See the original version for four more images. –Matthew] 6G: media should plan for the internet-of-senses Developers believe 6G will usher in photo-realistic holographic communication complemented by multisensory extensions – and experiments are already happening today. By Adrian PenningtonNovember 20, 2024 Imagine watching artists 280 miles apart perform and interact in real time in a shared digital environment. Or how about feeling a crunching on-field tackle in your living room or being immersed in a live holographic broadcast…

[A new study in the journal Criminal Behavior and Mental Health provides evidence that presence evoked during virtual reality simulations can increase police officers’ sympathy and empathy with characters in mental health crises, suggesting an important positive impact on their real-life interactions in the community. This story is from Florida Atlantic University; in a report in Maryland Today, the second author of the journal article says, “As technology gets better, VR might further maximize immersion and sense of involvement, which could strengthen empathy and improve police-community interactions.” –Matthew] VR Could be a Gamechanger in Police-Civilian Crisis Encounters By Gisele GaloustianNovember…