In the new Disney+ docuseries ‘Limitless’, Chris Hemsworth sets out to better understand many facets of human performance.
In episode 1, Chris looks to complete a crane walk at the top of an Australian skyscraper. In preparation for this task, Dr Modupe Akinola has Chris complete the intimidating walk within a virtual reality simulation. He is tasked with walking across a path located on a warehouse floor. However, the virtual reality equipment utilised by Chris generated the sensation and perception of walking unassisted across a crane hundreds of feet in the air.
While there was no danger present, the biological and psychological responses demonstrated the effectiveness and realism of virtual reality. His heart rate and perspiration rose rapidly, and Chris was evidentially worried during the walk.
Later that week, Chris climbed the skyscraper, stepped out onto the crane and completed the walk for real. While seeing his heart rate and perspiration increase, he controlled his emotions and stress response to complete the walk – even stopping midway through to display yoga and martial art movements to further demonstrate his success.
This experience highlights the potentially huge benefits of virtual reality for those looking to achieve elite human performance. The potential benefits are evident from an elite footballer looking to prepare for an extremely stressful penalty kick in a hostile stadium to a CEO preparing for an important pitch in front of a crowd.
In elite performance, very thin margins often determine success and failure. This has led to industries working tirelessly to optimise processes and training. While physical training and development have grown and thrived, the training of the mind has proven to be a challenge.
Creating psychological pressure and stress is very challenging. Replicating a hostile crowd, an intimidating atmosphere or a challenging live environment is extremely difficult in real life. So, the creation and improvement around virtual reality simulation could be a game changer in sport/performance psychology. Having the ability to create environments and then re-run them multiple times to create acclimatisation could have huge ramifications.
In elite sports, managers and coaches often struggle to mentally prepare athletes for big competitions. The recent 2022 World Cup saw certain players thrive in the pressure cooker environment while others fell away dramatically. With this technology, coaches can prepare players for exact scenarios, working on psychological strategies and coping techniques during a live simulation. As the technology grows and improves, it can potentially hugely change elite performer psychology.
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