Application of Virtual Reality in Kyokushin Karate Training with HTC VIVE: Development of a Training System and Benchmarking Against Human Trainers

As virtual reality (VR) becomes more widespread, the technology is increasingly being used in sports. As a sport with no physical components required for its basic practice, Karate is particularly suitable for this purpose. This paper shows how VR can be applied to training of Kyokushin Karate. For this purpose, a virtual training environment is developed enabling automatic evaluation of movement sequences. Evaluations are matched with human judgments from two karate instructors (1st dan and 2nd dan). The training environment is developed using Unity game engine and SteamVR plugin. The HTC VIVE Pre-Headset is used for presentation. Using HTC VIVE Tracker 3.0, motion data of 14 subjects for 10 karate techniques are recorded, normalized and compared with reference data using the DTW algorithm. Algorithmic evaluation is performed on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good) stars. The comparison with the karate trainers shows an agreement of the evaluations in 79% of the test cases. Furthermore, participants are asked about their experiences after the VR-supported training. The results show a high willingness to use VR training tools. Occasionally, subjects felt disturbed by the VR trackers. VR glasses are not perceived as a hindrance. Ideas for further research are outlined.