27 SCIENCE LAB FORUM 05
tions, which includes reaction speed, anticipation and perception. “During this the athletes move in the virtual laboratory, where they have to deal with tasks related to complicated reactions,” Docent Perič explains. The second area focuses on solving simple competitive situations where an athlete in a virtual stadium has to optimally set up things like passes. “In his hand, the hockey stick is transferred to an avatar on the ice, and he sees his hands, the puck and his teammates,” Perič says. The third area is called virtual hockey and is similar to table hockey. The player looks at the surface from overhead, and controls his player by moving his own body, and moves with him on offence, defence, etc. The other players are controlled by artificial intelligence. Initial testing has confirmed that children in the three-month programme improved their cognitive assumptions over expectations compared to the control group, in numbers by 10 to 15 percent. The pilot measurement took place in an age group of children between 10 and 15 years old. It’s important to mention that neurologist and professor Jakub Hort of the Second Faculty of Medicine is also working on the project; he is investigating how to optimally develop cognitive assumptions of children at a certain age, and is also monitoring load levels so that their nervous systems aren’t overloaded.
developed,” Perič explains. Other sports are being considered where the moment of decision is important. As Perič, the director of the lab, points out, the benefit of connecting virtual reality is the existing interface in the form of rackets, bats or the aforementioned hockey sticks, where touch feedback can be provided. Gymnastics doesn’t offer the same kind of potential. If the programme in its pilot version is as successful as it might seem to readers, why haven’t the Japanese or Koreans, who use virtual reality much more, come up with something similar? “Technology is just a means. You have to have good knowl-
edge of developmental patterns, sports methodology and the sport itself, and also handle the connections to technology. We’ve succeeded in this and also have attracted a group of enthusiasts who are interested in this research. So far this is a huge adventure for us,” Perič concludes.
Next up: More sports “It won’t end with hockey. We assume we’ll move into other sports like basketball and lacrosse. Lacrosse is currently one of the most dynamically-developing sports in the United States, and from the point of view of virtual reality is very similar to hockey, so it’ll be possible to use the technology we’ve
The Prague Virtual Reality Laboratory is probably the only one of its kind to connect this modern technology with the results of scientific research in the area of sports.
Associate Professor Tomáš Perič is the head of the Department of Pedagogy, Psychology and Didactics of P.E. and Sports at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, as well as the director of the Virtual Reality Lab. He focuses on issues of sports training for children and youth, the selection of talented youth for sports, and the physiology of physical exercises for children and youth.