.webp)
Photo: "Player card photo created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the futuristic training centre in London." / Photo credit & source: © Sensape
[Press release]
Gamified training with a personal avatar using Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality at a futuristic London training centre
New brand METRIX opens a sports venue in London that merges eSports and reality through Augmented Reality.
In early September 2021, London saw the opening of the first football training centre to combine sport with Augmented Reality. Visitors can train skills such as shooting power and accuracy on digital walls, working their way up through difficulty levels via intelligent training panels. The German company Sensape is a key part of the project with its intelligent recognition software. Its Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) enable personal avatars and a player card tracking progress. AR and AI combine to create an immersive experience that is the first of its kind in Europe.
Across roughly 10,000 square metres, football fans can test themselves at the immersive London training centre from September 2021 and train different skills such as shooting power. Intelligent training panels automatically capture metrics like impact velocity, point of contact and shooting position, creating a genuinely hybrid digital-physical training centre. Using technology from Sensape, the German company developing Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence solutions, a cut-out photo for a player card can be produced in real time without green screen technology; the card is later used for the leaderboard and stores individual statistics. “For this project we worked with a new framework that enables even faster, smoother experiences. For the player card photo, the background is now removed precisely by our recognition software – no green screen required,” says Michael Lehnert of Sensape.
A particular highlight is the technology that lets users create an avatar based on their own appearance. The built-in Artificial Intelligence detects the person in front of it and automatically converts external characteristics such as hairstyle, skin tone and face shape – more than 20 parameters in total – into a 3D avatar. On a large display, players can then refine their avatar interactively until it matches what they want. “Sophisticated sensor technology combines digital content and Augmented Reality throughout the venue. With the personal avatar, our Artificial Intelligence creates an excellent link between the real and virtual worlds. We are proud to be part of this outstanding project,” says Joe Tankel, Sensape's UK representative.
Official video by METRIX:
