News

Recently completed theses:

• Florian Klenk: Überprüfung der Hauptgütekriterien von ausgewählten sportmotorischen Tests in der virtuellen Realität [Evaluation of the Main Quality Criteria of Selected Sport Motor Tests in Virtual Reality] (Master's Thesis, 10.06.2025)
• German Krämer: Empirische Analyse des Reaktionsverhaltens und der Inhibitionsfähigkeitt auf bewegte Objekte im peripheren Blickfeld in der virtuellen Realität [Empirical analysis of reaction behavior and inhibition ability to moving objects in the peripheral field of view in virtual reality] (Master's Thesis, 26.02.2025)
• Mark Schmitz: Effekte peripherer visueller Distraktoren auf die inhibitorische Kontrolle und die Reaktionszeit in einer VR-Umgebung [Effects of peripheral visual distractors on inhibitory control and reaction time in a VR environment] (Bachelor's Thesis , 05.02.2025)
• Marvin Steinert: Adaptation an periphere Störreize beim Korbwurf durch Training in der virtuellen und realen Umgebung [Adaptation to Peripheral Distractions in Basketball Shooting through Training in Virtual and Real Environments] (Bachelor's Thesis, 03.07.2024)

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Lange Nacht der Wissenschaft 2025

On Saturday, June 14th, 2025, the Long Night of Science took place across nearly all of Magdeburg. Numerous institutions opened their doors and offered exciting insights into current research projects late into the night. Our VR team was also part of the event, showcasing how virtual reality can be used in sports science. While German took charge of the hands-on experience and allowed visitors to immerse themselves in his interactive ball-catching scenario, Stefan and Dan presented recent study results and provided insights into the creation of virtual environments.

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University Open Day 2025

On May 24, 2025, the university open day took place, during which colleagues from the field of sports science presented their degree programs and demonstrated selected measurement techniques. Our VR research group was also present and showcased reaction tests in a virtual environment. 

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Girls'Day 2025

On April 3, 2025, Girls’Day took place. Our research group also took part and gave 7th grade students an exciting look into the work of sports scientists. Together, they created virtual objects, programmed a virtual jump test, and compared jump heights between the real world and virtual reality.

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18th Symposium of the dvs section "Motor Behavior"

From March 19 to 21, 2025, the 18th dvs-Sportmotorik Symposium was held at TU Munich. Our research group was once again represented with several contributions. Kerstin Witte led a working group on Intervention Effects in Older Adults. Stefan Pastel presented his talk on Evaluation of a Self-Developed Sport-Motor Test Battery in Virtual Reality, while Dan Bürger gave a presentation on Retrospective Analysis of Mental Fatigue’s Influence on Reaction Times to Peripheral Stimuli in Virtual Reality.

The symposium featured numerous exciting contributions, many of which also utilized virtual reality as a research tool. This led to engaging discussions and valuable professional exchanges.

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New Research Topic on Virtual Reality in Sports Training

A Research Topic of our working group will be hosted in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, supported by Chief Editor Dr. Dave Collins.

Virtual reality (VR) is transforming sports training by creating immersive environments that enhance cognitive skills such as decision-making, motor responses, and perceptual accuracy. However, many questions remain about its practical integration and effectiveness across different sports contexts.

This Research Topic explores how VR can be optimized for athlete and coach development. We welcome contributions on topics such as VR’s role in coaching strategies, its impact on decision-making, and comparisons with traditional training methods.

Key Deadlines:

• Abstract Submission: 30 May 2025
• Manuscript Submission: 28 November 2025 (flexible deadlines for confirmed contributors)

More information and submissioncan be found here.

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15th Symposium of the dvs section "Sports Informatics and Sports Technology"

From September 11 to 13 2024, several members of our working group participated in the 15th Symposium of the dvs (German Association for Sports Science) section "Sports Informatics and Sports Technology" [„Sportinformatik und Sporttechnologie“], hosted by TU Dortmund. The conference began with a symposium on "Inertial Sensor Technology", followed by various presentations and discussions, including one by Kerstin Witte on "Real-time feedback based on inertial sensors in shot put" [„Inertialsensorgestütztes Echtzeitfeedback im Kugelstoßen“]. A dedicated working group on "Virtual Reality" was chaired by Kerstin Witte.

During this working group, presentations were given by Hannes Loerwald on "Influence of eye and hand dominance on reaction times in the peripheral visual field in Virtual Reality" [„Einfluss der Dominanzen von Auge und Hand auf Reaktionszeiten im peripheren Sichtfeld in der Virtuellen Realität“], Stefan Pastel on "Investigating the applicability of a gait analysis tool in Virtual Reality using the OptoGait system: A pilot study" [„Untersuchung der Anwendbarkeit eines Ganganalysetools in der Virtuellen Realität mit dem OptoGait System: Eine Pilotstudie“], Dan Bürger on "Comparison of reaction times to peripheral stimuli in virtual reality during simple and motorically complex reactions" [„Vergleich von Reaktionszeiten auf periphere Reize in der virtuellen Realität bei einfachen und motorisch komplexen Reaktionen“], Sebastian Merker on "The influence of a head-mounted display on the execution of basic elements on the balance beam" [„Einfluss eines Head-Mounted Displays auf die Bewegungsausführung von Grundlagenelementen am Schwebebalken“], and Alexander Prinz on "Feasibility of a virtual application for people with dementia" [„Machbarkeit einer virtuellen Anwendung bei Menschen mit Demenz“].

Throughout the conference, many contacts were made, and engaging discussions took place, including with industry partners about integrating their measurement systems into virtual reality.

Participants from the Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg at the 15th symposium of the dvs section "Sports Informatics and Sports Technology" (from left to right): Sebastian Merker, Dan Bürger, Kerstin Witte, Alexander Prinz, Hannes Loerwald & Thorben Menrad