You Can Catch A Real Ball While Immersed In Virtual Reality, So What Comes Next?

Disney ResearchDisney Research has leveraged big data to predict soccer movements, improve sports broadcasts by having automated cameras learn from human operators and develop a “smart search” for sports plays.

Work in the digital realm had only indirectly influenced the human world. Historical soccer data later informed attack strategies, and data from human camera operators allowed researchers to teach automated systems.

But now, Disney Research has achieved a machine-aided task in real-time.

Using a motion capture system, Günter Niemeyer and Matthew K.X.J. Pan rendered a series of visual cues that allow an individual wearing a VR headset to catch a tennis ball in real life.

“The idea is…