[A new technology developed at ETH Zurich has the potential to expand and enrich presence experiences, as reported in Tech Xplore. For more information and a 2:19 minute video (also available via YouTube), see the IEEE VR 2021 link at the end of this post. –Matthew] Virtual reality at your fingertips By Leo Herrmann, ETH Zurich March 16, 2021 When a person taps with their fingers, each finger generates a different vibration profile propagating to the wrist through bones. ETH Zurich researchers have now leveraged this discovery in the development of a dual-sensor wristband that brings intuitive free-hand interaction to…

[A new campaign from Cadbury lets people hide a virtual chocolate Easter egg using Google Maps Street View for loved ones to find, after which they can receive a delivered physical one. This short story about it from Campaign provides details that suggest the goals include both social and spatial presence; the original story includes a 30 second campaign ad (also available via YouTube) and the press release at NET Imperative has more details and includes these additional quotes from the campaign creators: “We’re so pleased to be able to play a role in bringing people together in a safe…

[The U.S. Military’s Space Force branch is using presence-evoking technology to train for satellite missions, as reported in this story from The Washington Post; for more information see a December 2020 story in National Defense magazine. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: SAIC] Space Force is using virtual-reality headsets to train its Guardians to work on satellites The newest branch of the military uses virtual reality software to simulate national security scenarios By Dalvin Brown March 12, 2021 The U.S. Space Force is using virtual reality headsets to launch satellite mission operators into places they’ve never been before. The military branch, started under…

[This interesting and timely first-person report by actress Tessa Albertson in American Theater touches, sometimes indirectly, on several related meanings of presence, illustrating both the richness and some of the challenges of studying the concept. See the original story for a second image. –Matthew] [Image: ‘Happy Days,’ presented by New York’s wild project and the Princeton University Fund for Irish Studies.] Winnie for the Win: How a Virtual ‘Happy Days’ Conveys Presence Beckett’s play about a woman living moment to moment in a pile of dirt is a natural fit, and a great lesson, for our pandemic isolation. By Tessa…

[The beginning of a Fox Business story excerpted below quotes Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talking about presence and refers to a new Tech@Facebook blog post (also below) that outlines the company’s efforts and plans to develop AI- and AR-based presence-evoking technologies. See the original post for two more images and two videos and for related new stories see: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg thinks smart glasses could help combat climate change (CNBC) Mark Zuckerberg says realistic avatars are Facebook’s next big VR bet (The Verge) Facebook is considering a creepy new feature for its smart glasses (BGR) –Matthew] Facebook reveals more details…

[Morehouse College, with help from Qualcomm and VictoryXR, is offering two courses on an immersive virtual reality version of its Atlanta, Georgia campus, as reported in this story from Auganix. The original story includes a second image and a short video example (also available with others via YouTube) and there’s more information in coverage by The Muscatine Journal (a first-person report) and Forbes, as well as the VictoryXR website. –Matthew] [Image: Some of the Morehouse College Professors in VR. Credit: Morehouse College / Qualcomm / VictoryXR] Morehouse College launches Virtual Reality campus and classes in collaboration with VictoryXR and Qualcomm…

[This story from Inc. about how one company is using avatars controlled in real time by actors to develop people’s empathy captures the essence of presence with this description: “like a good theater performance, the simulations have enough emotional realism to allow for a suspension of disbelief…  Participants react as they would in real life, even though they know the situation is artificial.” –Matthew] Learning Empathy Takes Practice. Lots of It. That’s Where Virtual Reality Can Help Mursion’s simulations use real actors in A.I.-generated scenarios–no bulky headset required. It could be the future of workplace learning. By Sophie Downes February…

[This piece from Hyperallergic provides a centuries-long view of the evolution of presence experiences from the development of linear perspective to represent three dimensions to today’s virtual reality headsets that “trap [the user] in a very well-designed sensorial cage.” How will presence experiences evolve over the next several centuries? See the original story for five more images. –Matthew] [Image: Thomas Eakins, “Perspective Study Of Boy Viewing Object” (1910). Credit: Wikiart] The Links Between Linear Perspective and Virtual Reality Technology It may surprise the reader to find that one of the founding moments for the development of virtual reality actually happened…

[Mashable’s story below features a first-person report about a new multi-device mixed reality platform after the company provided a demonstration “specifically meant to show ‘all the core capabilities of Microsoft Mesh: Presence and 3D collaboration.’” See the original story for the four-minute video the author mentions. For more information see the Microsoft Mesh website, the company’s concept video on YouTube, and another first-person report from The Verge (a second story there focuses on a prototype of a new Mesh-enabled iteration of Pokémon Go and includes a video). –Matthew] Forget Zoom. Microsoft wants you to chat with holograms. By Brenda Stolyar…

[A new set of deepfake videos apparently of Tom Cruise have raised new concerns about the rapid evolution of the AI technology. This story from VICE, where the original includes several videos and Tweets, is somewhat reassuring about the pace of that evolution but provides disturbing examples (at the end) of how coverage and discussion about the phenomenon is already causing harm. And a new story in Fortune adds this: “While today’s deepfakes are usually identifiable with careful digital forensic analysis, this process is time-consuming and requires a certain amount of expertise. Researchers are working to create A.I. systems that…

[This short story from Digital Camera World describes a new camera that will monitor a computer user’s posture and time sitting while working or playing, and then use “irresistible cuteness” to nudge them toward more healthy behavior. Posture Fit is described in detail at the 24:21 mark in the 32 minute Canon presentation video “Concept Camera Design Story – Form Born from Understanding” on YouTube. It’s hard to imagine not having a medium-as-social-actor presence response to the device. –Matthew] Canon’s cute new camera is like a Pixar character – and it dances on your desk! The Canon Posture Fit uses…

[The phenomenon identified in the title and described at the end of this long piece from Wired in the UK is just a small part of a detailed, thoughtful and entertaining first-person description of the current capabilities, limitations and benefits of working in virtual reality to create spatial and social presence experiences during a pandemic. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: VIVEPORT / KeswickVR / WIRED] I spent two weeks working in VR and now I’m not sure what’s real From scribbling on whiteboards on a beach to replying to emails in outer space, could a VR headset be the answer to WFH…