The Portland Trail Blazers have made history by becoming the first NBA team to pilot OneCourt’s innovative haptic display devices during a live game. The devices are designed to translate live gameplay into trackable vibrations, providing individuals experiencing blindness or low vision with an authentic gameday experience.
The collaboration between the Trail Blazers and OneCourt took place during the recent game against the Pelicans, with the pilot set to continue during the team’s final two home games this week. Local nonprofits have been involved in inviting individuals with blindness or low vision to participate in the pilot, offering them the opportunity to test out cutting-edge technology.
OneCourt’s technology utilizes generative audio and haptics to translate live gameplay into trackable vibrations, enabling fans to experience the excitement of live sports through tactile feedback. The Trail Blazers facilitated OneCourt’s access to the NBA’s live gameplay tracking data in real-time, allowing the real-time data to be processed and experienced by fans as intuitive vibrations on the haptic display.
Matthew Gardner, the Portland Trail Blazers Senior Director of Customer Insights, emphasized the organization’s commitment to innovation and accessibility, stating that the pilot represents a unique opportunity to enhance the gameday experience and make it more accessible to fans of all abilities. The collaboration with OneCourt is seen as a significant step towards achieving this goal, with the hope that it will inspire other teams, leagues, and venues to explore additional ways of improving accessibility for fans.
Antyush Bollini, COO and Cofounder at OneCourt, expressed excitement about launching the technology in-arena for the first time with the Portland Trail Blazers. Bollini highlighted the collaboration as a major milestone in making live sports accessible for fans with blindness or low vision and anticipated a positive impact on the community. The pilot is expected to set the stage for widespread adoption by other teams and leagues, ultimately transforming the gameday experience for countless fans.
