Technology

Tech Stack: Kansas City Royals, Xtract One and more

Featured image credit: Proto

The Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball team has produced a life-sized hologram of legendary player George Brett for fans to interact with at Kauffman Stadium.

The hologram was set up from September 29 to October 1 and featured Brett telling fans the story of the infamous Pine Tar Bat Incident, which saw Brett penalised during a game against the New York Yankees in 1983 for having too much pine tar on his bat. The ruling was protested by the Royals and the game ended up being replayed.

The hologram was produced for the Royals’ creative agency Pine Tar Collective by Transcend Holographic Media and Proto Inc. The unveiling occurred during the last Royals vs Yankees series of the 2023 season, marking the 40th anniversary of the incident.

Xtract One Technologies, a technology-driven threat detection and security company, has been named as the exclusive preferred supplier for the American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB).

The three-year deal will see Xtract One advise the AAPB on security and weapon detection technology, deploy solutions, and ensure best practices to deliver enhanced fan experiences. Xtract One’s Gateway system replaces traditional metal detectors and hand wands and can unobtrusively scan guests for guns, knives and other prohibited items as they enter a venue.

Cisco has been announced as an official technology partner of the NFL’s New England Patriots.

Cisco has a long-standing relationship with the Patriots, and the recent renovation of Gillette Stadium saw the company’s technology play a key role in the delivery of video content inside and outside of the venue.

Gillette Stadium has been fitted with the largest outdoor HD stadium videoboard in the country, along with new screens throughout the concourses, suites, and concessions areas. Cisco’s IP Fabric for Media solution allows for the delivery of 4K content to fans around the stadium.

Digital transformation specialist Atos has opened a technology operations centre for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

The space spans 610 square metres and will serve as the control and command centre for technology that supervises all 63 Olympic and Paralympic competition and non-competition venues. Atos is the global IT partner and chief IT integrator of the International Olympic Committee.

Atos will leverage the centre to coordinate 140 venue IT managers across all Paris 2024 operational locations.

This year’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will be available in mixed reality as part of a link-up between the stock car-racing series and Xtadium.

All 10 of the races can be watched in mixed reality via Meta Quest headsets, with content becoming available 48 hours after the conclusion of each event. Fans can view up to eight distinct camera angles simultaneously while retaining the ability to observe their surroundings.

US-based software and payment company SpotOn has reached a strategic agreement to sell its sports and entertainment business to Shift4, while retaining select assets to support the growth of its restaurant business.

The move is designed to streamline the SpotOn business, focusing resources on the restaurant industry.