Sports professionals have been increasingly using Virtual Reality (VR) for training and assessment of skill-based sports. Yet fundamental questions about the virtue of VR training for skill-based sports remain unanswered: Can the complex motor skills in these sports be learned in VR? If so, do these skills transfer to the real world? We have developed a VR table tennis system that incorporates customized physics with realistic audio-visual stimuli, haptics, and motion capture to enhance VR immersion and collect information about the player's posture and technique. We have assessed skill acquisition and training transfer by comparing real table tennis performance between a control group (n=7) that received no training and an experimental group (n=8) trained for five sessions in VR. Results show a significant improvement in technique but no significant changes in the number of the returned balls in the experimental group in the real-life retention session. However, no significant differences are found in the control group. Our findings support the notion that complex skills can be learned in VR and that obtained skills can transfer to the real world. This work offers an inexpensive VR table tennis training platform, enabling effective training via real-time motor and ball returning technique feedback.

The ability to detect and diagnose neurocognitive disorders at the earliest possible moment is key to a better prognosis for the patient. Two of the earliest indicators of potential neurocognitive problems are motor and visual dysfunction. Motor disorders and problems in visual cognition can be seen in many neurocognitive disorders, resulting in abnormal physical reactions to visual stimuli. Analyzing physical behaviors when presented with such stimuli can provide insights into the visual perception and motor abilities of an individual, yet there is currently no unbiased, objective, general-purpose tool that analyzes attention and motor behavior to assess neurocognitive function. We propose a novel method of neurocognitive function assessment that tests the patient's cognition using virtual reality with eye tracking and motion analysis. By placing the patient in a controlled virtual environment and analyzing their movements, we can evoke certain physical responses from subjects for neurocognitive assessment. We have developed a prototype system that places the subject in a virtual baseball field and captures their full body motion as they try to catch baseballs. This scenario tests the subject's ability to determine the landing time and position of the ball, as well as the test subject's balance, motor skills, attention, and memory. Preliminary tests with 20 healthy normal individuals demonstrate the ability of this tool to assess the test subject's balance, memory, attention, and reaction to visual stimuli. This platform has a twofold contribution: it is used to assess several neurocognitive constructs that affect visual and motor capability neutrally and objectively based on controlled stimuli, and it enables objective comparison between different neurocognitive disorders research in this field.