PITCHvr
Training batters to see the baseball in the virtual realm.
PITCHvr is a virtual realty, headset-based baseball training system available on a variety of hardware platforms: Meta, HTC, Valve and HP. The patented Perceptual Image Trainer for the Complete Hitter in the virtual realm (PITCHvr) is a baseball 鈥渧irtual batting practice鈥� system developed by Mark A. Jupina, PhD, at 奶糖直播 University and commercially available through Novation Tech LLC. It supplements on-field training for serious baseball players to develop and hone vital batter skills such as pitch-type recognition, strike zone location recognition and pitch trajectory. PITCHvr Vision uses staircase adaptive training to optimally advance the player鈥檚 skill level and reports on their hitting performance over time. In the training mode, a variety of virtual assets and soundscapes assist a player while tracking a pitch. In the evaluation mode, training assets are removed and a player鈥檚 ability to track a pitch鈥檚 trajectory under real-world conditions is accessed.
PITCHvr Vision includes three training levels: High School, College and Pro. Each level has multiple types of pitches, such as fastballs, changeups, curveballs and sliders. Realistic left- and right-handed pitching avatars throw in a variety of styles (overhead, three-quarter release, sidearm and submarine).
RESEARCHERS
Principal Investigator
Mark A. Jupina, PhD
Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
PROJECT DETAILS
Players are trained in pitch-type recognition in a training session consisting of 20 thrown pitches. The player can select up to four pitch types that will be thrown by the realistic pitcher avatar on a virtual baseball field. The player decides which type of pitch is being thrown and records it, and their score is based on both response time and accuracy. If correct selections have been made, the training level (degree of difficulty) increases. Conversely, the training level decreases if incorrect selections have been made.
During Strike Zone recognition sessions, the batter is challenged to determine whether the pitch being thrown will be a ball or a strike. After setting up a personalized strike zone, the batter assesses each of 20 pitches of varying types and decides to swing the bat or not. The batter鈥檚 response is recorded as they go through the motions of a swing, and a report of their performance is created.
For every mode of PITCHvr Vision, Excel session reports are created to show players鈥� performance metrics in each area. They show detailed assessments with pitch-by-pitch entries and summaries. These can be used by coaches and trainers to show a player鈥檚 progress over time and set goals for real-world training activities.
- Commercial product available for download on the .
- Two patents: Patents in VR/AR: US 10,864,422 and US 11,331,551
- Beta Test Sites for PITCHvr products:
- Brain & Barrel Hitting (Dan Hennigan)
- On Deck Training Center (John Cowell)
- PITCHvr Vision Laptop/Tablet Version in development with Rick Strickland, hitting coach for the Tennessee Smokies (Chicago Cubs AA affiliate), for use while traveling, in the locker room before a game or in the dugout during a game.
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