Training

When learning to ride horses, equestrians have to become proficient in relaying cues to the animal via subtle changes in their riding posture. And while the horse can't tell them if they're doing so correctly, a new "smart" saddle possibly could.

Donning VR headsets for training can bring some realism to a simulated training environment, but it would be better if you could feel objects you interact with in the virtual realm. That's precisely what the SenseGlove Nova gloves are designed to do.

Boxing training is definitely a good workout, even for people who don't actually box. Punching bags, however, are big, heavy and expensive. That's where the Aqua Boxing Glove comes in, as it uses water to add resistance and work the proper muscles.

Saab and Varjo Technologies are developing new low-cost, high-resolution mixed-reality tech for flight simulators to train fighter pilots. Called Bionic Display, it cuts the computing power required by taking advantage of the way the human eye works.

While stationary trainers do allow users to cycle indoors, the things tend to just sit there and spin – with a few exceptions, that is. Rocker plates add some tilting action, though, with KOM Cycling's new RPV2 being the latest to hit the scene.

When trying to learn a skill such as judo or yoga from a video, it can be frustrating if you're not able to keep up with the onscreen action. That's where Reactive Video playback comes in, as its slows videos down to match the speed of their viewers.

When training for any sort of physical task, it's important to keep challenging yourself as your skills improve. That's the thinking behind a new adaptive basketball hoop, that gets higher and smaller as users make more shots.

Boeing has begun production of the “real-as-it-gets” ground-based training system (GBTS) flight simulator of the US Air Force's new T-7A Red Hawk training jet. For immersive realism, each unit features dynamic motion seats and 8K native projectors.

While many fighters train with a punching bag, it's not really a fair fight – after all, the bag can't punch back. Stryk's new RXT-1 training robot, however, does exactly that.

Middlesex University London is putting student nurses, pediatric postgrads and midwifery students to work in virtual environments to deal with scenarios faced in real-world settings.

If you're a serious weightlifter, then you know how important it is to maintain proper form. Calibrex is designed to help, as it uses ultrasound to detect if the barbell isn't being lifted symmetrically – it also tracks the user's performance stats.

​Ping pong is a two (or four) player game, but if you need to practice alone then a robot server can help. Cheap bots can be had, but more features means more cost. Joola says that its Infinity Smart Robot boasts advanced features for a fraction of the cost of high end robot trainers.​