Chris Kluwe is a former NFL punter who will be looking into the growth of technology in sports, more specifically augmented reality. According to Mashable, augmented reality is “a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.” So how is this relevant to sports?
Kluwe expressed that the implementation of augmented reality would be beneficial to players, coaches and fans.
As a fan, “[can you imagine looking from the eyes of] Adrian Peterson bursting through the line, shedding a tackler with a stiff arm before sprinting in for a touchdown. What do you think that fans experience is going to be when he is [Lionel] Messi sprinting down the pitch putting a ball in the back of the net, or [Roger] Federer serving in Wimbledon?,” said Kluwe.
Augmented reality would provide fans with a unique first person perspective of what an athlete is experiencing in real time.
When speaking with Kluwe, my biggest question was how augmented reality would impact players and coaches; would this technology take away human error from sports? He explained that “there’s this misapprehension that something like AR will turn players into robots, always making the right play…It’s an assist, like having a wrist playsheet, or a radio in the helmet, but if you don’t know how to utilize that assist, it’s not going to do you much good.”
Building off of the idea that augmented reality is an assist, Kluwe explained that, especially in football, learning the playbook can be a daunting task. During his time in the NFL, Kluwe spoke with several players about the idea of augmented reality, with many being excited about this potential opportunity.
“Possessing a device that would show you your assignment as it’s called out would be a huge help to a lot of players…[they]would be hesitant at first, because it’s new, but would then see the possibilities to run plays more efficiently and embrace it,” said Kluwe.
Here is a video of New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edleman fielding punts while wearing Google Glass.
According to Kluwe, the ultimate goal of augmented reality is to make games more competitive. The reason why sports fans enjoy watching Aaron Rodgers, LeBron James and Mike Trout is because of their ability to make amazing plays, but “with AR, other players have the chance to do those things as well, and possibly even surpass them.”
Through his discussion, Kluwe aims to express that players aren’t going to turn in to “robots” with this technology. The players’ decision making and physical ability will still be crucial elements to success, and that the teams who learn to utilize augmented reality will possess a great amount of data, which they can use to improve performance.
Outside of sports, Kluwe explained that augmented reality has been widely used throughout the military, is used for navigational assists on vehicle windshields, and is now starting to emerge in the industrial world; “Functionally, AR is the same no matter what field it’s being applied in – it’s about providing another layer of information to the user that otherwise wouldn’t be available.”
Panel Date: Saturday March 14, 2015
Location: Four Seasons (Ballroom CD) – 98 San Jacinto Blvd
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm