Virtual races, e-sport tournaments, augmented reality training – it feels like the sporting world is going digital more and more every day. And that’s something worth celebrating – just ask Prof Mmaki Jantjies and Dr Simone Titus are doing.
Reality is great. Really. But reality has been a bit rough for sports lately, especially with the whole pandemic challenge, and the national lockdowns, and how that makes it difficult to have teams of sporty people smashing into each other – not to mention the economic ramifications of not being able to get 50 000 people to hang out in a stadium on game night.
ESports help: these competitive games require participants to spend thousands of hours perfecting their craft, honing their strategies and mental toughness and developing their muscle memory and reflexes (kind of like what sports pros do). It’s a multibillion dollar industry that’s turned passionate gamers into international celebrities (including Gamer Grandmas who are way better than you’ll ever be) and inspired millions of fans – and the International Olympic Committee has discussed including ESports in future Olympic events. It’s not all that big in South Africa…yet. But that’s bound to change – and quickly, if COVID-19 has anything to say about it.
But E-Sport is just the tip of the iceberg.
Sports have always been at the forefront of technological innovation, from the development of sports apparel and protective gear to the science of movement, analytics, sports apps and performance monitors – and that’s truer than ever now that we’re experiencing that famous (or infamous) Fourth Industrial Revolution.
And few technologies have more potential for changing the world of sport than augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
“Sports has always been one of the domains where technology is being put to use in the most effective and aggressive way,” says Professor Mmaki Jantjies, Associate Professor of Information Systems at UWC, whose work on AR/VR and educational technologies has earned her a spot among the #Inspiring50SA, the Mail & Guardian Young 200, and the Young Mandelas – among many other accolades.
Augmented Reality enables users to overlay hardware devices such as mobile phones in a real-world setting where complementary 3D objects can be experienced interactively. Virtual Reality allows visual immersion of users in a simulated 3D context, which is now supported by smartphones, complementary head-mounted gear or special glasses.
Basically, AR makes your environment more interesting. VR puts you in a different environment entirely (or will when the tech gets good enough).
And from poker to the Premier League, from NASCAR to the NFL,they’re both quickly gaining traction in the sports world, improving broadcasts, training and more.
Training With Tech: Infinite Improvements
Practice makes perfect – and AR and VR tools can make practice far more effective, enhancing sporting performance and training processes by providing invaluable support to remote training. In a virtual environment, an athlete can engage in personalised training under a variety of simulated conditions, helping them develop tactical and decision-making skills, and enhancing their biomechanical techniques. A virtual reality sports simulation allows for a player’s performance to be analyzed and optimized to a heretofore impossible degree.
“VR allows athletes to enter into a simulation where they may feel physically and mentally present,” Jantjies says. “Here, they may practice a particular skill infinite times under different conditions unavailable in the real world – and that’s especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
And AR/VR training is also a lot safer: you can’t get struck by lightning training under storm conditions when the storm is just simulated, after all. And training practices adopted by players can be analyzed using augmented reality solutions.
Better (Than The Real Thing) Broadcasts
The use of augmented reality in sports is revolutionizing the way people consume and enjoy sporting events. Most sporting broadcasts already have an AR component in the form of visual overlays: sections of rugby fields displaying sponsored images overlaid on the field,; swimming broadcasts showing a pace line across the lanes; graphics tracking golf ball trajectories. MIT has outlined how the pandemic will change the way we watch sports – and AR/VR broadcasts are only going to become more important over time. MIT has outlined how the pandemic will change the way we watch sports – and AR/VR broadcasts are only going to become more important over time.
AR can help clarify rules and highlight key aspects of a game for first time viewers. And for more seasoned fans, it can provide deeper stats and comparisons between players. And VR can make fans at home feel like they’re right there in the stadium.
“VR sporting technology can reach fans from the comfort of their own homes through a real-time interactive experience,” Jantjies notes. “Complementary AR applications now enable users to overlay their mobile phones onto football games to view live data and statistics.”
Fans, Referees & Coaches: Geeking Harder
Sports fans love data. They love to know more about the team they’re rooting for, the stadium they’re playing in, the history of the game itself. All of that can be conveyed with augmented reality even while a game is going on.
Augmented Reality technology has even made possible the creation of multiple year-long fantasy leagues which allows participants to create and complete team rosters in a data-rich and immersive way.
Basically, at heart, sports fans are just geeks who care more about runs/over or average drive yardage more than, say, which superhero is the strongest [Hulk], the coolest [Batman]; or the shiniest [Silver Surfer]. And AR and VR are the ultimate way to geek harder.
All that information isn’t just useful for fans, though. Augmented reality allows officials to understand (and referee) games better, and provides the ability to review decisions that the players feel officials may have misjudged. And coaches and support staff too can leverage augmented reality to guide players and come up with strategies in real-time
It’s even useful for the team docs.
“For sports scientists and health rehabilitation professionals, VR can be of assistance by helping to diagnose sports-related injuries through the interaction of the athlete with a virtual environment that uses sensors to record motion and sports-related movement,” says Dr Simone Titus, Teaching & Learning Specialist in UWC’s Faculty of Community and Health Sciences. “And VR may be used as preparatory exercises before students are exposed to real athletes on the sports field or in a sports rehabilitation centre.”
So…where to from here?
“The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the use of technologies to conduct multiple sporting activities in adherence to recommendations made by the World Health Organization,” Jantjies says. “Looking beyond the pandemic, immersive technologies will continue to impact sports significantly, whether on the field or in the comfort of an athlete’s own home.”
Augmented reality and virtual reality have already improved sport immensely – and they’re just getting started. With further advancement in technology, the possibilities are limitless.
Know of any sport tech trends we should be exploring? Why not let us know at info@capeat6sport.co.za? And why not check out the latest issue of the Cape At 6 magazine while you’re at it? Oh, and happy belated Video Games Day! Hope you celebrated in suitable sporting style…
