[The telepresencestage.org website describes and provides free resources from “Collaborative Solutions for the Performing Arts: A Telepresence Stage,” a project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Excerpts from the website’s pages are below; see the site for more details and images. –Matthew] Collaborative Solutions for the Performing Arts: A Telepresence Stage OVERVIEW: In our safe distancing times, this research is developing effective and affordable techniques to connect theatre and dance performers from their separate homes and place them within virtual sets online to create, rehearse and perform together as if on a real stage. The website provides…

[In this depressing story about the perils of presence, MIT Technology Review reports on the latest developments in the evolution of pornographic deepfake technology. –Matthew] [Image: Animated gif by Pedro Nekoi] A horrifying new AI app swaps women into porn videos with a click Deepfake researchers have long feared the day this would arrive. By Karen Hao September 13, 2021 The website is eye-catching for its simplicity. Against a white backdrop, a giant blue button invites visitors to upload a picture of a face. Below the button, four AI-generated faces allow you to test the service. Above it, the tag…

[The Detroit Bureau reports on the recent demonstration of Mercedes-Benz’ AVTR concept car that features technology designed to evoke multiple forms of presence. See the company’s press release and vehicle profile web page for more information, images and videos. –Matthew] [Image: Source: PC Magazine] Powered by Thought; Mercedes Reveals Update of Vision AVTR Concept Show car explores the use of brain-computer interface applications in cars. By Paul A. Eisenstein, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief September 07, 2021 When the first navigation systems came to market, motorists had to manually type in a destination. Now, they simply have to speak and, in most…

[A new virtual reality experience tells the story of Genelle Guzman-McMillan, who survived 27 hours trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001; in this interview from the Oculus Blog the creators describe how they used the technology to create both spatial and social presence, what they’ve learned about storytelling with VR, and how the medium is uniquely suited to preserving historical events. The original blog post includes four more images and a trailer (also available via YouTube). For more about the survivor stories of Ms. Guzman-McMillan and others, see “In the shadow of the…

[In this interview from the Columbia University Climate School, educator and StudioTEKA design firm principal Vanessa Keith describes her vision for the use of virtual reality and presence to help bring awareness and innovative solutions to the serious challenges of climate change. See the original story for two more pictures. –Matthew] [Image: An image of an NYC alley at night from the virtual reality world “2100.” Credit: StudioTEKA] Can Virtual Reality Save the Planet? By Kristen French August 18, 2021 On Aug. 9, the U.N. released a dire climate report, the first since 2018, that warned of accelerated warming of…

[This Reuters story describes a new effort to reduce concussions from playing soccer by training in virtual reality. See the original story for a 2:03 minute video and four more images, and for a first-person review of the previous version of the VR software see Engadget. –Matthew] [Image: Journalist Pete Hall checks the virtual reality headset “Player 22” by Rezzil, used by pro footballers to combat the risks of concussion from heading, in Manchester, Britain, August 24, 2021. Credit: Reuters/Peter Powell] How virtual reality could help reduce brain injuries By Peter Hall September 1, 2021 MANCHESTER, England, Aug 27 (Reuters)…

[In the Forbes story below Bernard Marr considers the implications of the recent announcement that the group ABBA is reuniting after 40 years for a new album and a concert series in which the members’ recorded de-aged digital avatars will perform with a live band. For more about the concert see coverage in VRScout and a segment (beginning at 23:15) in the official announcement video on YouTube, and for more about ABBA and the album and concert see The Independent. –Matthew] [Image: Source: VRScout] ABBA’s Virtual Concert, The Metaverse And The Future Of Entertainment By Bernard Marr September 6, 2021…

[This Road to VR story describes how physicists and philosophers think we can, and whether we should, gather evidence for the simulation hypothesis. See also a Space.com interview with Rodney Ascher, the director of the new documentary A Glitch in the Matrix that “tackles the theory head-on”; that story includes the film’s trailer (also available via YouTube); here’s an interview excerpt: “SPACE.COM: How did making this film either confirm your belief in simulation theory or make you question it? RODNEY ASCHER: Well there are two ways of looking at simulation theory, either as a scientific possibility that changes everything we…

[In another story that raises questions about the ethics of presence, this report from SoraNews24 takes a sarcastic approach to describe a new product from Japanese toy maker Takara Tomy intended to evoke medium-as-social-actor presence; the original story includes more pictures and watch the video there or via YouTube to get the full impact. –Matthew] Electronic grandchild “Ami-chan” developed by Takara Tomy The future of grandparenting is now! By Master Blaster August 21, 2021 It’s time we faced some hard truths, grandchildren are inefficient drains on our time and money. Sure they have their moments and will sometimes produce goods…

[This TechCrunch story weighs the ethical implications of new software that uses real-time speech recognition and synthesis to create the illusion that a person is speaking with a different accent. The company’s press release is available via AccessWire. What do you think about the promise and peril of this presence-evoking technology? –Matthew] Sanas aims to convert one accent to another in real time for smoother customer service calls By Devin Coldewey August 31, 2021 In the customer service industry, your accent dictates many aspects of your job. It shouldn’t be the case that there’s a “better” or “worse” accent, but…

[Short stories from The Verge and Reuters provide details on a new presence-enhancing feature in the Clubhouse audio chat app. See a February 2021 ISPR Presence News post for more about Clubhouse. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Engadget. Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images] Clubhouse embraces spatial audio for more lifelike conversations Speakers are distributed in 3D space just like the real world By Thomas Ricker August 30, 2021 Clubhouse began rolling out a iOS app update on Sunday that enables spatial audio support. The Android update is “coming soon,” according to the company. The feature works by introducing subtle spatial cues…

[The University of North Carolina Greensboro’s College of Arts and Sciences reports on an interdisciplinary project to reproduce the experience of walking through an historic building in the 1950s; see the original version of the story for five more images and a 3:25 minute video (also available via YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: The UNCG team of designers and computer scientists watch as Melissa Knapp ’20 tours the historic hotel in virtual reality.] Virtual Reality brings the past to life at Magnolia House Story by Elizabeth Keri, College of Arts & Sciences Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications August 9, 2021…