VR Power Trainer

When reality became an obstacle, we decided to create a new reality.

PCFA (PowerChair Soccer Argentina) is a non-profit association that promotes inclusive sports—soccer in motorized wheelchairs. With the World Cup practically around the corner, the association's desire was for the Argentine national team to qualify. Still, most of the members faced enormous logistical challenges since the sport requires special motorized wheelchairs, which forces them to travel with two wheelchairs everywhere.

For this reason, we decided to create VR Power Trainer, an immersive PowerChair Soccer simulator that also included the development of a custom wireless joystick. The development, which included multiple dynamic tests and fine-tuning of the physical reaction of the motors and movements, was primarily designed for use in VR running on a high-end but (economically) accessible laptop. Because the sport involves abrupt movements, multiple methods of motion sickness mitigation were studied and trialed, including the implementation of methods that were state-of-the-art at the time.

Thanks to initiatives like VR Power Trainer and the notoriety and participation it brought, the Argentine national team was able to train again and qualify for the much-anticipated World Cup.

This project was awarded the "Best in Category" and "Best in Show" at IxDA, Gold at CLIO and additionally won awards and shortlists at The One Show and Cannes Lions.