Sports are getting techier, with gimmicks like indoor golf battles, but it’s not just about making things more exciting.
Modern advancements are also bringing sports to underserved fan bases.
Accessibility slam dunk
Professional sports teams are working with startups like OneCourt, Touch2see, and Field of Vision to help blind and low-vision fans follow the action via tactile devices, per CNBC.
Tactile tech is already in play to make cars safer and VR games more realistic, so why not expand that to accessibility solutions?
- OneCourt’s tablet, available at a handful of stadiums, allows fans to track a basketball’s position with their fingers and vibrates when something exciting happens.
- Other variations have a physical cursor that moves along with the ball.
The most exciting thing…
… is that this tech could eventually improve — if companies like OneCourt stick with it.
Disability advocate Liz Jackson, who uses the term “disability dongle” to describe a well-meaning piece of accessibility tech that is ultimately useless, told CNBC that startups often announce, then abandon such products.
OneCourt says it intends to eventually introduce at-home versions of its tech, rather than relying on licensing deals with sports teams. But because its device only does one thing, it’ll need to do it well — and affordably.
