MLBAR
Dream: I am interested in how I can use new technology to enhance a fans live experience at a Major League Baseball game. I want to be able to create something that will be all inclusive: something that both informs the newcomer and engages the baseball fanatic. The ideas implemented should be malleable enough to not just enhance the experience of a baseball game but of all live events.
Vision: The tech would have a lot of features, all of them stemming from your mobile device. One crucial foundation to keep in mind through all of this: the physicality of the experience is one that separates the body from the tech in a realistic fashion. The mobile device will not be covering the eyes as is common with a VR experience. Instead, the user will keep the phone at arms length – as if they are taking a picture – as the AR experience happens. It is crucial that the user isn’t thrown into a virtual reality and that reality exists around them as things are augmented. Now, for the experience:
You and your friend decide to take a road trip to see your favorite team the Baltimore Orioles play the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field in Ohio. You get your tickets and get to the stadium a bit early to watch some batting practice. Your friend asks you who is in the starting lineup tonight. You turn your camera on, point your phone to the field and from the grass emerges a graphic with the two starting lineups. “Oh, he’s got Manny Machado batting second? Doesn’t he usually bat third?” your friend asks. You highlight Manny Machado’s name and all of his statistics appear. “Nah, he usually bats second.”
“How does he do against this pitcher?”
You pull up a highlight of what happened the last time Manny Machado went up againsst Danny Salazar. It shows him striking out.
“Not so well.”
You sit down and the game begins. After an inning or two, you start to get hungry. “What’s this stadium got by way of food?” your friend asks. You hold your phone up to the stadium and an array of concessions pop up. Above a few of them there is a small star that notates which concession Indians fans feel is a must have, below that there is a review and under that, a timer which indicates how long the line is for that particular concession.
“This place called Melt Bar and Grill has something called the Parmageddon that’s supposed to be great. The line is like 10 minutes but it just won some award for ‘Best Ballpark Food.'”
“Sounds good, mind if I use the restroom before we go?”
You turn your phone around to look for the nearest restroom. Several icons pop up to show you where they are located.
“There’s one close to the concession stand but there’s a five minute wait; the one right outside your section has a one minute wait.”
You get your food, return to your seats and settle in to watch the rest of the game. It’s now the bottom of the 7th. The Orioles are up 4 – 3 but their starter Kevin Gausman has just given up a two out double with Edwin Encarnacion on deck.
“They should bring in Brad Brach,” says you friend.
“No way, let him finish the inning.”
You open your phone and point it to the scoreboard. A poll appears: “What should the manager do: ‘Bring in Brad Brach”, “Keep Gausman in”, “Intentionally walk Encarnacion”.
Your friend votes for the first option and you vote the second. The poll fills up and it turns out 70% of the fans who voted agree with your friend.
The game ends (the Orioles won) and you head back to your hotel room with your friend.
“Man, that was some home run Manny Machado hit, huh?”
“Yea,” you say, “let’s see it again”. You open your app and displayed in AR in your hotel room is that home run Manny Machado hit two hours ago.
Goal: Create a mobile AR app that enhances the viewing experience of a live event. Give the app as much functionality as possible in a one semester span. In the meantime, create a video that shows what the app looks like when it is used optimally.
Plan:
Midterm: Pitch Video
Final: MVP app that includes all functions of the app but with a select few being able to be used.