ProjectOPS
Latest
Major League Baseball team uses VR for batting practice
Virtual reality made its way into the NFL last year, when the Dallas Cowboys became the first team in the league to use the technology for training. Now, on the Major League Baseball side, a similar path is being followed by the Tampa Bay Rays. The team has started utilizing a simulator from EON Sports VR known as iCube, which lets players step inside a virtual batting cage and practice their swing. Coaches are fans of this method because it takes less physical wear on an individual, plus it allows batters to experience throws that mimic those of pitchers across MLB -- like Giants' own Madison Bumgarner.
Jason Giambi bets on virtual reality to train better batters
Virtual reality has made substantial strides in gaming and entertainment, but there's another area where the technology could also prove useful: sports training. Kansas City-based EON Sports VR has been working on interactive simulators for football and, now, it's tackling baseball. Its latest, Project OPS, uses custom software and a smartphone-powered SIDEKIQ VR headset to train batters on strike zone awareness and pitch recognition through real-time, 360-degree video challenges. And to give this a sense of credibility, the startup recruited Jason Giambi, a 20-year MLB veteran with an American League MVP title, two Silver Slugger Awards and five All-Star badges under his belt.
