Keynote Lectures

Virtual Reality: Taking Performance to the Next Level
Cathy Craig, Ulster University/INCISIV Ltd., United Kingdom

The Track and Field Masters Athletics Cohort (TaFMAC) Study: Implementation and First Results
Jörn Rittweger, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany

Towards a Meaningful Robot-Assisted Neurorehabilitation Experience
Laura Marchal-Crespo, Department Cognitive Robotics, TU Delft, Netherlands

Abstract
This talk will demonstrate how Virtual Reality (VR) can be used as a tool to understand and improve movement performance. The first part will show how rudimentary VR technology was used in the early 2000s to carefully control what the brain sees (perception), but also very accurately measure how the brain responds (action). The versatility of VR means it can be used to study human behaviour in many different sport and health applications. Examples from behavioural neuroscience will showcase how VR can help us understand decision-making in elite sport but also conditions such as freezing of gait in people with Parkinson’s disease.
The second part of the talk will highlight how the recent evolution of both VR hardware and software has opened exciting new possibilities to take research out of the lab so it can make a difference to people’s lives. Examples will demonstrate how VR applications that are commercially available can enhance performance through the power of gameplay. This could be VR apps that train perceptuo-motor skills in the home or monitor changes in players’ neural fitness that can occur because of injuries (e.g. concussions). 
The talk will conclude by sharing some thoughts on the future of VR technology and the Metaverse and highlight opportunities for researchers to take advantage of this technology.

Abstract
Masters Athletes are people who vigorously train for and compete in sports beyond the age of 35, typically organized within 5-year age bands. Given that athletic performances in track and field athletics are comparatively easy to translate into physical and physiological functions, track and field masters athletics allows insights into the aging of such functions despite vigorous physical training. In addition, such vigorous physical training and competition must be expected to impact on the athletes’ health, potentially both in positive as well as in negative ways.
The TaFMAC study was therefore created to study the interrelationship between fitness, training, athletic performance and health across the age range. Data collection campaigns are being organized in collaboration with World Masters Athletics (WMA) during the annual WMA stadia and indoor championships. At each championship, local hosting partners are searched and involved for scientific collaboration.
The core assessment consists in bioimpedance analysis, vertical jump and hop testing, and questionnaires related to athletics, health and well-being. Further assessments are maximal oxygen uptake during treadmill running (vo2max), electrocardiogram (ECG), cardiac ultrasound and blood sampling for glucose and lipid metabolism, markers of inflammation, and genetic markers of athletic specialization. In addition, local partners can also bring in endpoint measures of their own interest. On-site data collection is complemented by annual on-line questionnaire assessments for those unable to attend at the annual meetings.
The study started to collect data in June 2022 during the WMA stadia championships in Tampere (Finland), and further campaigns were organized in March 2023 in Poznan (Poland) and in August 2025 in Gothenburg (Sweden). Approximately 800 athletes have been enrolled so far.
First results show that track and field masters athletes competing at World championships represent a wide spectrum of athletic back grounds and calibers. The vast majority specialize in one or two events. Whilst most athletes have first started before the age of 35, many others had their first exposure after that age, often into their 5th, 6th or even later decade of life. Moreover, there are very few individuals who are performing track and field over their entire life, putting the often-held notion of ‘lifelong exercisers’ into question. First medical results suggest that ECG-signs of myocardial fibrosis may be more prevalent than expected. However, this still requires confirmation.
In summary, the TaFMAC study aims at better understanding the risks and benefits of vigorous training and competition at older ages, thereby serving the knowledge needs of athletes, scientists, health care specialists and the wider society.

Abstract
Every year, millions of stroke survivors lose their functional autonomy due paralysis, posing a tremendous societal and economic challenge. In absence of a cure for stroke, clinical evidence suggests that patients should engage in personalized, task-specific, high-intensity training to maximize their recovery. In this talk, I put forward a new mindset to overcome many of the fundamental limitations of traditional approaches in stroke neurorehabilitation. I present the new trends in rehabilitation robotics and immersive virtual reality that leverage realistic interaction with tangible virtual objects and discuss how a better understanding of human skill acquisition can improve neurorehabilitation approaches.