provide athletes with technology to improve their cognitive abilities
High-level athletes manage to reach their peaks thanks to specific abilities: ultra-rapid decision-making, a better perception of the game... But is it possible to further improve these natural abilities? This is what professor Jocelyn Faubert, of the Université de Montréal’s Psychophysics and Visual Perception Laboratory, has managed to accomplish. This innovative technology, called the NeuroTracker, is being marketed by CogniSens Athletics, a Montréal company headed by Jean Castonguay. The NeuroTracker offers a virtual environment that allows athletes to optimize their perceptive and cognitive abilities. Within the immersive surroundings, the athlete must follow the movement of a few balls in a space in which several balls are moving very rapidly. NeuroTracker training improves the player’s ability to integrate and analyze the processes of complex movements. This translates to accelerated decision-making during a game, giving the athlete more choices while in play. In addition, a better perception of the game allows the athlete to avoid collisions, reducing his risk of injury. Professional sports teams are scrambling to test this new technology. The National Hockey League, the Ottawa Senators, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Vancouver Canucks have already added the NeuroTracker to their gyms. Rugby and soccer teams, including the famed Manchester United, have also given their players the opportunity to benefit from the technology.
