Padel is a sport that has more and more fans in Europe, which leads more and more companies to consider it as an opportunity to develop or adopt new technologies. For example, it is now possible to use artificial intelligence, combined with a laser, to know where the ball hits first, thus ending arguments at certain times.
Now this sport has also reached virtual reality. The truth is that this technology has huge possibilities when it comes to practicing certain sports. It is able to allow us to train anywhere, allowing us to have enough free space to train.
One of these applications is PadelVR, of Spanish origin, and available for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3. Although the application is still in development, it can now be tested, and the truth is that promises to deliver a very realistic typing experience for padel fans who want to play without even having to leave their room.
At EL ESPAÑOL – El Androide Libre we spoke with Sergio Anglada, general director of PadelVR, about how the application can help improve performance on the court. In the application there are several modes through which it will be possible to practice and improve sections such as the technique of hitting the ball or even aiming precision.
To do this, there are fairly specific mini-games which are not only useful for training, but also for entertainment. Their goal is to “create a comprehensive training system that complements actual track practice” and can be ideal for times when a track is not accessible.
Padel in VR
This application is only available on Meta's virtual reality glasses, the Meta Quest 3s.Quest 3 and its previous model, the Quest 2. This application can be used with the controls of the glasses, but in Padel VR they also have an adapter (not obligatory to play the application) which will allow the activity to be performed with a certain precision.
This adapter can be essential for the training part, because “it allows you to practice real movements and work on muscle memory, which is not possible with a standard controller due to differences in weight and shape”, tells us Anglada. Its price is 49.95 dollars and some of its components can even be built with 3D printers.
The racket they sell has the advantage of having a weight similar to that of a real padel racket, approximately 435 grams. In addition, by not impacting the ball, they added a little weight to it, in addition to obtaining a perfect balance to ensure that, despite this, the force was also exerted as much as possible.
Score in PadelVR
The app can now be used, but it is still in development, so more news may come soon that will that you can get even more. This also ensures updates to improve performance. Their idea is to develop a complete training system for all levels.
They also collaborate with padel academies to include this system in their training offers. In addition, the application roadmap also foresees the launch of a multiplayer mode to be able to search for a game online, based on the skill levels of each user. The company plans to divide its use into two, one more professional and dedicated to training; and another with a more playful approach that would allow “to practice skills in challenges between friends or against the community, with options such as matches against AI and, soon, online matches”, explains its general director .
Quite a few options
This application offers different ways to help the user improve in paddle tennis. Its mini-games may be the function it serves which offers a wide variety of possibilities. Thanks to these, it is possible to train different areas separately, such as balls, drop shots, descents or even precision.
Each of them can be started independently to focus only on the sections you want to practice at any given time. In fact, it is even possible to choose the terrain and some of its parts depending on the style you are looking for, so that the experience is as personalized as possible.
Lo mejor de esta aplicación es que te permite ejercitarte en este deporte estés donde estés, algo que no solo es positivo de cara a mejorar sino también para ahorrar tiempo. Todo ello con bastante precisión, puesto que emula las sensaciones con una pala real, según Anglada “El mayor desafío ha sido recrear las físicas del mundo real en el entorno virtual. Estamos desarrollando un motor propio para simular elementos como la presión de la pelota, los rebotes en las paredes y los efectos”.
Uno de sus siguientes pasos será introducir correcciones en tiempo real, que “compara los movimientos del jugador en VR con animaciones capturadas mediante Motion
Capture de un jugador real”. Esta app pone de manifiesto, más allá del multiverso y otras ideas, el gran potencial que tiene la realidad virtual a la hora de permitir al usuario disfrutar de experiencias relacionadas con el deporte en los momentos en los que no es posible practicarlo en la realidad.
