Virtuality reality is becoming more and more prevalent and available in modern day living and it appears the NFL is further jumping on the bandwagon, testing the technology for potential future use.
USA Today reports the NFL is in the early stages of figuring out how to use VR as a tool for diversity training. They want to use the technology to combat racism and sexism by using VR on players and staffers to simulate real-life situations. The report says the NFL hopes players experience simulated realism and then adapt to the real-world through behavioral changes learned in VR.
“The NFL hopes to leverage the immersive power of virtual reality, referred to by experts as “presence.” By putting on goggles that replace the real world with interactive VR scenes, the brain comes close to truly believing what it is seeing. The effect of such realism could be lasting behavioral change.”
USA Today reports Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab has developed demos that place users in “unsettling realms.”
“In one scenario, a user is represented by an African-American female avatar who is being angrily harassed by a white avatar. When the user reflexively lifts his or her arms in self-defense, the hands feature black skin.”
Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of football operations, said the league will use the tool later this year.
The news is great as VR is an easily accessible technology which could pay huge dividends in teaching and training NFL players how to behave properly in certain settings. It may seem and look silly, but if it even helps just a little bit, it’s a worthy investment by the league.
