Decathlon called on the Laval Institute and LAMPA's"Presence and Innovation" team to conduct a state-of-the-art study on virtual reality applied to sports.
Researchers at the Institut Arts et Métiers Laval contributed their expertise on the acceptability of the brand's materials from the Kalenjibrand brand brand Decathlon dedicatedto to jogging. The challenge for the world leader in sporting goods: to combine video games and physical activity. through virtual reality.
Combining sports and video games is possible thanks to virtual reality!
Virtual Reality (VR) is a universe that allows physical activity and entertainment to be combined through gamification of sport. Performing a series of repetitive movements is much less tedious if you feel like you are fighting a monster, catching bonuses or jogging through the jungle ! Todaytoday , the list of simulators that blur the line between gaming and sports practice is growing by the day. But practicing sports, especially running, with a virtual reality headset, is not easy.
VR increases cognitive abilities and reduces the feeling of effort
A, Thibault de Maillard, technical directorfor the Kalenji brand Kalenji at Decathlon, has therefore askedLAMPA's "Presence and Innovation" team to produce a scientific state-of-the-art report.Thechallenge for Décathlonis to incorporate a touch of virtual reality to its future products.
Thus, thestate of the art in science shows that Virtual Reality still involves many constraints. : : headsets that are too heavy, too large, sensorimotor inconsistencies, latency that can cause eye strain.
Fortunately, this somewhat bleak picture, fortunately, there are some more positive notes. :
Virtual Reality increases cognitive abilities and reduces the feeling of effort. These benefits enable athletes to train, progress, perform, and improve their game(tennis, golf, climbing, etc.)
For example, being able to visualize past performances by seeing your own avatar next to you proves to be a relevant indicator and benchmark. It gives athletes an extra boost to strengthen their mental game and encourage them to beat their personal bests!
The market potential therefore seems therefore very real. Decathlon has fully recognized this, and the quality of its products in this new niche will be decisive.
