BalanSAR: Using Spatial Augmented Reality to Train Children's Balancing Skills in Physical Education

Abstract

Balancing is one of the essential motor skills to adopt and maintain an active lifestyle in child- and adulthood. Visual perception plays an important role in learning balancing skills. Current balancing exercises, however, offer few opportunities for practicing visual perception. A technology we consider promising for Physical Education (PE) is Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR), the projection of (interactive) animations onto three-dimensional surfaces. We present BalanSAR, a novel combination of SAR, existing PE balancing exercises and traditional PE gym equipment. By projecting animations onto the gym floor and existing equipment, visual perception in balancing exercises can be practiced more effectively. We propose a study to investigate the feasibility and the effect of using SAR on the efficiency and effectiveness of PE in terms of children's motor skills and their motivation in PE and physical activity in general.