VR tools give Kiwi Olympic and Paralympic athletes a competitive edge
New Zealand Winter Olympic and Winter Paralympic athletes have been given a performance advantage using virtual reality tools created by a team at the University of Canterbury (UC) to help them train for Beijing 2022.
It includes a virtual reality (VR) experience, known as the Alpine Project, that recreates the downhill speed course in Beijing; a “park and pipe” start gate simulation that allows halfpipe, slopestyle and big air athletes to see, hear and feel what it’s like to move between the warm-up area and the start gate area; and a simulated drone flyover view of the slopestyle course that athletes can use to plan their run.
The VR technology initiatives were created for Snow Sports NZ by a team led by UC HIT Lab NZ Professor of Applied Immersive Games Stephan Lukosch.
He says the technology, which HIT Lab NZ game developer Ryan McKee and game designer Shunsuke Fukuden helped build, aims to improve “mental imagery” training so that athletes are more prepared to compete. “It’s about being able to imagine how a course is going to look and learning how to manage that,” Professor Lukosch says.
“Evidence shows that providing a training experience that is as close as possible to reality can enhance performance. We’re really happy with the positive feedback we’ve had from the snow sports athletes who have been using our products.”