Nike SPARQ Vapor Strobe Eyewear Like glasses that help you see worse.
NIKE
Nike has developed a means of increasing visual short-term memory retention and physical reaction time via a set of strobing goggles
that rob athletes in training of some of their vision. The SPARQ
Sensory Performance system evaluates an athlete for 10 visual
performance skills and creates a training program specifically for him
or her that involves wearing Nike’s SPARQ Vapor Strobe Eyewear, which
basically fog over to block the wearer’s vision for short periods of
time, forcing the athlete to anticipate what’s coming next.
The idea is to fine-tune an athlete’s sensory perception, visual
acuity, and the brain’s ability to maintain a precise sense of timing
absent a constant stream of visual input. The regimen is backed up by
Duke University research that shows that the SPARQ system can indeed
heighten visual skills and improve athletes’ reaction times. The system
is apparently already in beta with some professional and collegiate
sports programs, and will see a worldwide rollout soon.
It’s tough to say at this point how much that improvement translates
to the playing field, but Nike isn’t the only entity out there looking
for ways to groom the brain into a better tool for physical activity.
DARPA and the DoD are constantly on the lookout for technological tools
that will help soldiers stay more alert, improve physical reaction
times, increase eye-hand coordination, and sharpen decision-making
skills on the fly--so the implications for this technology beyond
athletic training are certainly real.
[Mashable]
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