It’s time to face reality: virtual reality is changing the world.
The technology has grown tremendously, and its impact has become incredibly widespread. Though VR is prevalent in entertainment, education, and the media, high-tech advancements are also emerging in the realm of sports. Three main areas are being impacted.
Athlete Training
College football teams are restricted to four practices a week, their reps confined to a specific number of hours on the field.
Not anymore.
With the help of VR, players can gain reps outside normal practice hours without risk of injury.
STRIVR is a Silicon Vallley-based tech company that originally designed training programs for businesses. Walmart and Chipotle are some of STRIVR’s main partners. Now, so are the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, among other pro and college teams.
To understand the mental part of playing a sport, athletes can strap into situations with real footage catered to them, creating custom experiences. Athletes learn the expected intensity of an upcoming game just as Chipotle or Walmart employees can do the same for the lunch rush or Black Friday.
Check out Fanatical Futurist’s quick hit on this application: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwnjjUDOets
Injury Diagnoses
Concussions and their long-term effect on athletes is a major discussion topic across many sports. With VR, SyncThink, also out of Silicon Valley, is diagnosing and monitoring without error.
SyncThink’s Eye-Sync technology is an FDA-approved VR headset that tracks eye movement. By comparing it between a healthy athlete and one experiencing concussion-like symptoms, a diagnosis comes immediately and objectively.
If athletes show concussion symptoms, many sports require removal from the game. Eye-Sync not only determines whether they can return to play, but keeps updated data that accurately tracks an athlete’s recovery.
Read about it in detail from SyncThink: https://syncthink.com/eye-sync/
Fan Engagement
Have you ever wanted to sit at the 50-yard line while also sitting on your couch? Choose the exact angle to view the game? See what athletes see as they see it?
Newsflash: you can.
Well, they’re working on it anyway. Next Galaxy and Intel Sports Group are innovators in fan experience, and they’re changing the way viewers consume live sporting events.
For a minimal price, Intel offered experimental VR views of March Madness games. They’re currently working with the NFL and NBA to provide exponentially more options for fans to watch however they want.
Watch how Intel is creating excitement: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/sports/immersive-experiences.html