Isaac Clark Posted August 6, 2017 Report Share Posted August 6, 2017 Hey all! So, I was just thinking, with the recent rise in virtual reality as a gaming technology, more and more gamers are starting to stand up and move around in order to play their games. I believe this could have very interesting implications for gamers and the fitness community, and going forward we may see those two communities intertwine much more often. First of all, VR games on systems like Occulus and the Vive have people on their feet, ducking and dodging and flailing their arms wildly. Generally, these games have people moving and at least getting some kind of workout where, using traditional methods, they would have been sedentary. Secondly, as VR evolves and becomes more accessible, user-friendly, and compact, I think we could see people begin to integrate it into legitimate fitness experiences. Imagine putting on your HTC Vive or Occulus Rift while you stand on the treadmill, and instead of having to stare at a wall and blare music, you could be jogging through the grand canyon on a sunny day, listening to a nature soundtrack, even if it's the dead of winter where you live. Or taking part in a simulated boxing match that requires you to duck, jab, kick, and perform other movements to win. I think the potential for VR to be used as a tool to promote fitness in the future, as the technology becomes more refined, is incredible. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts! Can you think of any other uses VR could have, fitness-related or otherwise? Or am I getting far too ahead of myself? Thanks for reading, guys. Have a great day! 3 Quote Level 11 Ranger My Introduction! Character Page Link to comment
RedStone Posted August 6, 2017 Report Share Posted August 6, 2017 This is indeed an interesting development and we have had many conversations about what VR may do for the fitness industry. Short opinion is that the sky is the limit. If you can dream it (and make it), someone can probably get some great use out of it. Long answer/concern is two fold - safety, and CNS development in relationship to physical awareness. The concern about safety and the fixes for that are relatively easy. VR can be disorienting when you're actually moving around a different space than you're experiencing, but safe defined spaces and different kinds of safe guards, kill switches, attendants, coaches and trainers are all possible solutions. (Also the tumblrs on VR workout fails would be epic.) Playing games is fun of course, but what I'm more interested in is how virtual training will effect stimulus adaptation outside of the virtual realm. In general, for the fitness layman, this isn't much of an issue. Save for a possibly toppled living room, people who don't get up and move, might. At home programs (like the beauteous trail you mentioned, or a pristine beach for a yoga class or guided meditation), can take on a whole new level of experience. When we're talking about more advanced training including ballistics and performance, immersive VR simulations could bring otherwise cost prohibitive equipment and experiences to more athletes. A coach could adjust a training course on the fly, and game simulations could provide much more realistic environments. Again, space and spatial relation is the key question in this scenario. If there's room to run, say, on a turf for cone drills and plyo, is the VR necessary? And likewise, if the athlete is working in a more confined space and adjusting movement to fit the realm of the VR limitations, is the kinesthetics doing it's job effectively? Another side that I think has a lot of potential is rehabilitation. Physical rehabilitation can be both physically and mentally demanding - having programs that guide, teach, calm, and distract a patient could be very useful. I can imagine visuals that for example show the patient the arc of ROM that they are trying to achieve alongside progress trackers. Additionally, interesting environments can help take their minds off the difficulty of the task at hand. Cool thing is that we're just scratching the surface. For me personally, primary issues to be addressed are the actual physical interface (I don't even like headphones that add to much bulk/distraction when I'm intense movements let alone a heavy thing on my FACE lol) and I would love to see experiments measuring the relationship of how the work done in a VR environment relates back to IRL scenarios. 1 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Mad Hatter Posted August 6, 2017 Report Share Posted August 6, 2017 28 minutes ago, RedStone said: Another side that I think has a lot of potential is rehabilitation. I thought this was a really amazing use of VR! https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/aug/11/brain-training-technique-restores-feeling-and-movement-to-paraplegics-virtual-reality 1 Quote Link to comment
RedStone Posted August 6, 2017 Report Share Posted August 6, 2017 49 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said: I thought this was a really amazing use of VR! https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/aug/11/brain-training-technique-restores-feeling-and-movement-to-paraplegics-virtual-reality MAN isn't life beautiful. What a beautiful thing! Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Frost of the Gloaming Posted August 7, 2017 Report Share Posted August 7, 2017 VR headset on a treadmill with Zombies run......that would be interesting. 1 Quote Between a rock and a hard place, use our finger nails to climb, it's all we know.......... Daily Mile Perfer et obdura: Dolor hic tibi proderit olim Link to comment
wildross Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 I was reading a military blog. They've used VR for quite a while (the heads up display in fighter jets is a type of VR). Turns out somewhere around 20% of the population will get a form of motion sickness from VR. Since the stats are from the military, have to assume that is a younger demographic (ie, not old folks like me). Quote Warriors don't count reps and sets. They count tons. My psychologist weighs 45 pounds, has an iron soul and sits on the end of a bar Tally Sheet for 2019 Encouragement for older members: Chronologically Blessed Group; Encouragement for newbie lifters: When we were weaker Link to comment
Bookish Badger Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 On 8/7/2017 at 11:45 AM, Frost of the Gloaming said: VR headset on a treadmill with Zombies run......that would be interesting. Why limit it to the treadmill? I once saw a video that someone had posted, where they'd combined an Oculus with a Kinect and a low friction surface-and-socks to play Skyrim. The player could turn and "run" or "fight" (within a circular safety rail) in any direction. The video had a split screen that showed both the player and what he was seeing at the same time. From outside it looked totally dorky, but the player's-eye view looked like the coolest thing ever! 2 Quote "'It's time for a few small repairs,' she said." - Shawn Colvin Link to comment
Frost of the Gloaming Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 I'm just thinking of the inherent dangers being that the app wouldn't know that the light is about to change from red to green so if you're paying attention to the story line and not the real world that could be disastrous but however if you were to convert an old building into a multi-use facility and put a track in near the boiler room and had stuff pop out at ya while running that would be scary and somewhat safe 1 Quote Between a rock and a hard place, use our finger nails to climb, it's all we know.......... Daily Mile Perfer et obdura: Dolor hic tibi proderit olim Link to comment
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