Breakthrough technology redefines sport viewing
The Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme looks to fund projects that use technology to bring new services to the public. The INMOVE project is one such example. Experts in computer vision and communications technologies came together to create a novel sport viewing application. The system is comprised of two parts. The first is the installation of special camera equipment at the stadium to collect images of the football players and ball. The second component is the software that analyses the images and generates the animation fed to the end-user. INMOVE is the first to accomplish real-time tracking of athletes on the field. For this reason, the INMOVE consortium has applied for patent protection. Another advantage of the system is that the animation can be delivered to the end-user via the Internet or even to their mobile phone. Market research identified the entities that could possibly be interested in the commercialisation of the system, ranging from the fans themselves to football club owners, coaches and content providers. The system could also be extended to other spectator sports. Currently the system's potential has been demonstrated in offline mode during a trial. The INMOVE consortium is now pursuing additional funding to transform it into an online reality.
