Blog 2: Sports in Virtual Reality
Ronell Garcia
Technical Support Analyst @ Neo Financial | Ticketing Systems, Resolving Issues
Revolutionizing Sports with Virtual Reality
In my previous blog post I talked about what Virtual Reality is with its many features and how it can be implemented into many scenarios, but with our main focal point of it being used in Sports. Knowing how it ties in and what kind of uses it can benefit sports in the long run. I will be talking to you about the pros and cons of this technology and how it ties in with sports and the world. The questions that still remain are is there a way for Virtual Reality to become even more immersive than it is now? Is there a possibility of feeling, where not only do the users feel and touch, but the environment itself almost feels real? In this blog we are going to tackle these points and dive in-depth of what could possibly be the solution.
Impact of Virtual Reality
When it comes to Virtual Reality there are many things that can be implemented and augmented in such a way that distorts a human’s imagination. Quite like the world today that is plagued with a pandemic and is forced to stay at home in quarantine, humans seek a way of interaction. The lack of activity in sports and positivity has never been more at an all time low. With Virtual Reality that can very much change and create a new sense of connection with the world. Many industries have been finding new ways to apply this technology especially in the sports industry.
The power of Virtual Reality in sports have allowed coaches to approach planning differently and how players practice for upcoming matches. This technology is so advanced that it puts the athletes into the most realistic possible setting for their specific sport. Many Colleges in the US have implemented the use of Virtual Reality in their athletic programs such as Michigan, Kansas and Georgia to name a few [1]. The use of it so far has allowed new recruits to experience and show them what the possibility of it is like on their respective team all through the use of a smartphone in which they can access through an application.
Pros and Cons of Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality as a whole would be quite beneficial in many everyday tasks. But as it stands right now, there are many limitations that it can reach. The premise that it stands on as of right now is quite broad but still very small in size due to what the technology itself is capable of producing. What are the pros/cons to having Virtual Reality in Sports or other activities/events? [2]
Pros
· Better than reality? – I think this one is very dependent on the personal user. People have different tendencies of how they perceive the real world and that of a created one.
· Unlimited control – aside from being able to control your whole body as you do everyday with your arms, legs, eyes, brain etc. Within the world of virtual reality possibilities can be endless a great example for that is being able to move positions instantaneously. When you are watching a sports game in Virtual Reality, you are possibly given a wide-array of options to choose from, the most notable being able to sit courtside which is usually the most expensive seats.
· Used in various fields – One of the main things with Virtual Reality is that it’s diverse and it has so many things and can be used for that purpose (Not only in sports). One of the most popular uses of it so far have been integrated into the Video Gaming world.
· Users have different/amazing experiences -– With the many ways of implementing this technology, users will have many kinds of experiences that vary on what they are doing. From fun things such as Video games and Sports and to more technical aspects such as learning and training. With athletes they are able to train in a safer environment that won’t result into injury.
Cons
· High Cost – Many upcoming technologies, when they are first introduced/released are prone to being costly. Even some affordable VR tech headsets are still a hefty price, examples of these are the popular Oculus Quest 2 and the Virtual Reality for Sony PlayStation these systems can vary from $299.99 – $599.99 [3]. Although many colleges have been able to afford and use this in some of their programs, the question is… is there a way for any school to have this technology themselves and learn about Virtual Reality altogether?
· It’s not Real (close to but not) – This is a slight contrast to it being better than reality. In a realistic sense and setting, watching and being able to physically do sports is 100% better than having it virtually. That experience will never change and could never be topped.
· Addiction to the Virtual World over the Real World – This can be a standalone issue on its own, as exciting the Virtual World can be, there is a lot of drawbacks to it. In the sports world athletes have to rely on their physical capabilities. Virtual Reality may train the mind but lacks in the physical aspect, this is a major drawback and can mitigate the actual training an athlete needs if used every day.
· The Technology is still in development – this technology is still being perfected, and has many holes in how it works. It may be used in many fields but it is still in full development, it hasn’t been fully 100% been committed to yet into making it.
What could help VR be more immersive?
The base of what most people believe and see is a great starting point for Virtual Reality, and that is to be immersed into a world where you are able to do things that you couldn’t in the real world at that time. As of right now Virtual Reality is in development and has only been limited to certain functionalities such as visuals being immersive with 360-degree views and auditory channels for the senses. The question to be asked, is there a way to expand on that and allow the user to be more engaged by the senses such as feeling. The answer is Tactile Virtual Reality.
Tactile Virtual Reality
Tactile Virtual Reality is the exploration of different textures that allow a user to involve active sensing. Any sorts of voluntary movement of tactile sensors that span across a targeted surface, allow the user to feel and by the use of motors and sensory information it lets the brain register the textures of the explored surface. Here is a custom-built VR tactile reality from MEG Center in the University of Tubingen, Germany which consists of 5 parts: a Linux OS system, a standard 4-wire resistive touchpad, a touchpad control unit (in-house built), an electric control unit and a scanning probe [4]. The main use of this is that the scanning probe is positioned in a way on the touchpad where it then determines the pattern of the tactile stimulation to be then delivered to the user’s fingertips. Here is a flow chart of how that process works. [4]
Although Virtual Reality is still in very much in the works for developing this to its full potential, there has been some progress in creating this part. A cool fictitious example of a suit that takes on Virtual Reality and the use of senses is in the movie “Ready Player One”, they integrated the use of the Virtual Reality goggles and a full suit that most likely has sensors attached throughout so that the users in the movie are able to touch, smell, see, hear and taste in the virtual world. Obviously, we are not so advanced at the moment and have barely touched the surface of each sense.
Researchers at Northwestern University have been able to recreate the sense of touch, by the use of what is called “haptic skin”. What is “Haptics” first of all? It is actually nothing new and has been out in the world for quite a while now and many users who probably own a smartphone will have experienced this already. It is a sort of feedback that uses touch to communicate with a user, and today haptic technology ranges from these various vibrations through the use of mobile phones, video game controllers and even high-end exoskeletons/full body suits which is kind of like the one shown above (these suits are most likely found and mainly used in military and industrial settings). The innovation for the use of haptic tech was to create a synthetic VR version of skin, by using 32 actuators which is then placed in between soft flexible fabric that is able to stick on skin [5]. Each individual actuator can be programmed in a way so that it is tuned to different frequencies to differentiate the senses.
This would greatly benefit the like of sports that are using Virtual Reality as a piece of technology for their training. In Sports the use of the physical aspect is much needed, and can help the body grow and adapt. Without the sense of touch athletes lose that connection and when the actual live game happens it will feel a whole lot different. Just being able to feel the grip of a ball or a stick is 100% better and also feeling that extra sensation of the vibration/impact through the body only makes it that more immersive. An example of this would be muscle-memory this is basically just repeated practice of the same task over and over. It is both a physical and mental process but I do believe you can’t run on muscle memory with just the mental aspect or just the physical. It is a skill that requires both to fully use it’s potential.
Conclusion
Virtual Reality as a whole is a very interesting and futuristic way of thinking. As of right now, being able to use each individual part such as the haptic feedback on your phone or playing virtual reality games on your computer/consoles have been an experience and makes you wonder when these advancements can finally take place in an all in one system. For the sports world, it’s nothing more than just a tool for athletes but a way to make sports better for everyone.
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