Human motion analysis and simulation tools: a survey

Computational systems to identify objects represented in image sequences and tracking their motion in a fully automatic manner, enabling a detailed analysis of the involved motion and its simulation are extremely relevant in several fields of our society. In particular, the analysis and simulation of the human motion has a wide spectrum of relevant applications with a manifest social and economic impact. In fact, usage of human motion data is fundamental in a broad number of domains (e.g.: sports, rehabilitation, robotics, surveillance, gesture-based user interfaces, etc.). Consequently, many relevant engineering software applications have been developed with the purpose of analyzing and/or simulating the human motion. This chapter presents a detailed, broad and up to date survey on motion simulation and/or analysis software packages that have been developed either by the scientific community or commercial entities. Moreover, a main contribution of this chapter is an effective framework to classify and compare motion simulation and analysis tools

Innovation and Optimization of Physical Education Senior High School Examination Based on Digital Transformation: Path, Mechanism and Practice

With the rapid development of digital technology, physical education is ushering in an unprecedented digital transformation. In the physical education high school examination, digital transformation can not only improve the efficiency and accuracy of the examination, but also provide a more fair and just evaluation environment for students. From the perspective of digital transformation, this paper discusses the path, mechanism and practice of innovation and optimization in the evaluation of middle school physical education examination. It aims to provide theoretical and practical support for digital transformation in physical education assessment, and promote the effective integration of modern technology and physical education

Placebo effects on cycling performance in virtual-reality and laboratory environments

Placebo effects are a desirable outcome resulting from a person’s expected and/or learned response to a treatment or situation In sport, most research has examined placebo effects by administering a placebo and informing athletes that they received an ergogenic aid, or via manipulating their expectations about an opponent. While previous research has revealed the magnitude of placebo effects during sport performance, it is limited in that they are often conducted in highly controlled environments, and opponents are often a replication of participants’ own performance. Thus, it is unknown if placebo effects are induced outside of the laboratory and whether they can be induced when competing against real opponents. In this research programme, placebo effects induced via both ergogenic aids and opponents were examined when participants completed cycling time trials remotely on a virtual-reality software (i.e., Zwift) or in the laboratory. In Study 1 (N = 44), the reproducibility of 20-min cycling performance on Zwift was confirmed (CV = 3.7%). In Study 2 (N = 67), athletes completed two 20-min cycling time trials on Zwift, before completing a final time trial with the administration of one of four conditions as part of the balanced placebo design [1) told beetroot/given beetroot, 2) told beetroot/given placebo, 3) told placebo/given beetroot, and 4) told placebo/given placebo]). Findings showed no differences in power output (ηp2 = .03) during any condition in comparison to baseline. In Studies 3 and 4, a deceptive intervention was adopted to investigate the effects of different competitive environments on cycling performance, whereby participants were either correctly informed about the nature of the opponent (accurate condition) or informed they received a performance-enhancing substance (deception). In Study 3, after a 20-min baseline time trial, participants (N = 12) competed twice against a virtual avatar replicating their previous baseline performance (competitionBSL) or against a virtual avatar riding at 2% higher power outputs than their best competitive performance (augmented feedback conditions; accurate and deception). Results showed that participants improved performance during competitionBSL (P < .001) and accurate (P = .036) in comparison to baseline but not during deception (P = .152). In Study 4 (n = 14), participants competed against a real opponent of similar ability (± 2% difference achieved during baseline). Contrary to Study 3, performance during both accurate and deception conditions was similar to baseline (all P ≥ 0.134). Collectively, this research has shown that placebo effects might not be as evident in remote-research designs than when conducted in the laboratory, which could be explained by the limited social contact between researchers and participants. These results have important implications for researchers and practitioners interested in placebo effects outside of the controlled environments, highlighting the importance of considering the exercise context. Virtual-reality software an innovative tool in which to conduct experimental designs in applied settings, including a geographically diverse sample, perhaps increasing the generalisability of findings

Brain-Computer Interfaces for Non-clinical (Home, Sports, Art, Entertainment, Education, Well-being) Applications

HCI researchers interest in BCI is increasing because the technology industry is expanding into application areas where efficiency is not the main goal of concern. Domestic or public space use of information and communication technology raise awareness of the importance of affect, comfort, family, community, or playfulness, rather than efficiency. Therefore, in addition to non-clinical BCI applications that require efficiency and precision, this Research Topic also addresses the use of BCI for various types of domestic, entertainment, educational, sports, and well-being applications. These applications can relate to an individual user as well as to multiple cooperating or competing users. We also see a renewed interest of artists to make use of such devices to design interactive art installations that know about the brain activity of an individual user or the collective brain activity of a group of users, for example, an audience. Hence, this Research Topic also addresses how BCI technology influences artistic creation and practice, and the use of BCI technology to manipulate and control sound, video, and virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR)

A study comparing the pedagogical effectiveness of virtual worlds and of traditional training methods

This experiment tests whether a virtual world is a more suitable alternative to classical paper and pen case studies for teaching people how to disarm improvised explosive devices (IED). Following preliminary training, the subjects are separated into a group of 32 and one of 33. The odd-numbered subjects receive case studies while the even-numbered subjects receive training in the virtual world, Second Life. After their training, each subject is put into a simulated test where they attempt to properly disarm a mock IED attached to a victim played by an actor/actress. The results of the experiment show no significant difference between the two instruction types in terms of the subjects’ ability to perform the correct procedures in a situation with an IED. However, a higher percentage of subjects taking the Second Life training properly disarmed the IED than that of those taking the case studies