Virtual Reality for Delivering Swimming Practice Through Water-Free Immersive Training System

Abstract Learning to swim is essential at any age as a great way to exercise and part of safety measures. Not everyone feels comfortable to start practicing from being in the water due to specific psychological or physical difficulties. Similarly, the in-water practice lacks real-time feedback for postures or stroke corrections. However, Virtual Reality (VR) technology presents a great potential to enable a water-free approach as preparation for, or supplementary to, in-water practice. Such technology is still under-explored. This paper proposes a Water-Free Immersive Training System (WITS) which verifies the feasibility of a Water-free Immersive Training System using system construction and experience tests. WITS features whole-body physical feedback (e.g.through distributed resistance materials or controllable air cushions) and body movement tracking to provide visual and embodied immersion and real-time training feedback. A Presence Questionnaire (PQ) is adopted to analyze users immersive experience. This paper discusses the user experience of WITS and the broader directions and implications for future development. This paper is intended to propose a novel design application and expand the possibility of other innovative forms of immersive sports. At the same time, it provides a set of design-oriented insights for creating tangible immersive experiences in VR systems.