Ulster Rugby players are fitted with a ‘backpack’ of sensors and wear a head mounted displayer – a helmet-like visor – through which 360 degree virtual scenarios are displayed.
The team are working with researchers from the School of Psychology at Queen's University Belfast on the project. In previous research, the researchers collaborated with Adidas and world class goal-keepers to study perception in curved free-kicks in football.
Lead researcher, Dr Cathy Craig, a Senior Lecturer in Visual Perception, said: "Immersing players in an interactive virtual reality provides an exciting new way of exploring and understanding human behaviour.
"The advantages of this technology are that unlike playing a video game on a normal desktop computer, the rugby player or athlete is totally immersed in a realistic simulated environment.
“By presenting stereoscopic images in a head mounted display and tracking head movements, the user's viewpoint is automatically updated giving a 360 degree virtual experience. This means that the user becomes totally absorbed in their virtual environment encouraging them to interact as they would in the real world," she added.
To view the players using the equipment, click here.
In the scrum
Meet the Role Models aiding training with sports technology.
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Date Published: October 16, 2009
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