Bayern Munich Using AR Selfie Screen To Bridge Lack Of Fan Contact Caused By COVID-19
December 14, 2020 by Dave Haynes
The legendary German pro football club FC Bayern Munich opened a new flagship store in central Munich, with a signature interactive feature an AR-driven display that allows fans to take virtual selfies with their favorite players.
The feature is particularly valuable right now because the Bundesliga, like most professional sports leagues, are playing games in empty or mostly empty stadiums – and important fan contact moments like autograph lines outside stadiums are not allowed.
The concept borrows on that nicely executed one at the NFL Dallas Cowboys’ home grounds, allowing a selfie with favorite players using a big touchscreen kiosk, AR and cameras.
This version was developed by the German company SENSAPE GmbH, and activated last week. The project in Munich is the first permanent installation of this technology in Europe, the company says.
“Meeting players in person is a rare occurrence and not granted to many people anyway. Since the spread of Covid-19, personal contact is no longer possible. With this project, we are bringing a technology to Europe that allows anyone to take a photo with the players at any time, as it is not tied to a specific date. The photo even comes signed to the fan and makes the whole experience even more special,” says Michael Lehnert from SENSAPE in Leipzig, Germany, where the AR technology was developed.
Says the PR:
The intelligent system recognizes as soon as a fan stands in front of the device and starts the AR application. After players pose virtually in the picture, fans can position themselves in the middle and a photo is taken. An intelligent rendering system automatically adjusts the exposure and proportions to the fan and the environment, creating a photo-realistic image. The result can be downloaded to the user’s own smartphone via QR code and shared with friends and on social media channels at the touch of a button.
A similar procedure will soon be used in the Member Corner, where fans can sign their membership contract in the presence of club president Herbert Hainer and honorary president Uli Hoeneß and seal it with a photo.
For people who don’t know European sports – Bayern is one of the mega-clubs in football, and was the winner of the Champions League in 2020. By most measures, winning that contest makes it the best club team on the planet.
They also have a Canadian on the starting 11 – Alphonso Davies!
The company behind this is from Leipzig, which also has a top (at least this year) team in the Bundesliga.
Opening of the #FCBayernWorld in Munich including our #allstars solution! Photos with stars like #ManuelNeuer or #ThomasMueller are possible anytime there now. We’re so happy about the cooperation with the #FCBayern and proud about the successful start. #fanengagement #MiaSanMia https://t.co/HEZjk2F7R9
— Sensape (@sensape) December 14, 2020
This is so awesome, I wish all the clubs had it!