Sacramento's NBA franchise is off to a very slow start in the standings with a 2 - 7 record so far this season, but the Kings are a championship contender in the realm of tech-savviest pro sports teams.
The team's majority owner, Vivek Ranadive, founded a successful data analytics firm called Tibco. Other investors include the Jacobs family, which founded San Diego-based Qualcomm and Andrew Miller, a former vice president at Apple who until last year ran a motion-controller startup called Leap Motion.
Ownership says the team's new downtown arena opening in 2016 will be one of the most technologically advanced in pro sports. Here are five recent developments.
1. Arena command center. This week the Sacramento Kings announced that AdvanTel Networks will be the overall system integrator for the team, the new Golden 1 Center and the Downtown Commons. The company will deliver wired and wireless systems, data security, unified communications and collaboration, and structured cabling, and serve as a partner in the digital command and control system that will power the arena. The command center will analyze real-time data to provide fans access to shorter food and beverage lines, unique video feeds, in-game statistics and more, the team says.
2. Robots. Last month Ranadive and the Kings’ brain trust unveiled an autonomous robot nicknamed Knightman that is providing security patrolling capabilities in the parking lot at the Kings’s current facility in Natomas at Sleep Train Arena. The robot is from manufacturer Knightscope. “The K5 [model] gathers important real-time, on-site data through its numerous sensors, which is then processed through a predictive analytics engine,” the company says.
3. Virtual reality. The Kings streamed the first game of the season live in virtual reality to children in Mumbai, India. The array from Voke Inc. in Santa Clara uses stereoscopic cameras. The Kings announced they have invested in the platform, which “utilizes a synchronized multiple point-of-view stereoscopic panoramic camera system that allows fans to be immersed in live action, as well as access multiple seat locations. A seamless 180-degree view allows viewers to follow the action in every direction. The technology enables mobile devices, computers and virtual reality headsets to utilize the same feed, as well as provide special control in 2-D and 3-D. Virtual add-ons like scoreboards, advanced player metrics and custom video provides the viewer with more information than ever before.”
4. Synced bracelets. At the home-opening game, the 17,000-plus fans in attendance received LED bracelets utilizing wireless technology from Montreal-based PixMob. The “connected crowds” solution enable synced wireless control of the bracelets. “Like pixels in a display screen, objects change color, pulse, fade, shimmer, responding to commands sent via infrared transmitters,” the company says. “Real-time control also allows for spontaneous light and video effects.”
5. Apps. On Nov. 4 the team announced a partnership with Appetize, a cloud-based point of sale (POS) platform that will be utilized at Sleep Train Arena and then the Golden 1 Center in 2016. “Appetize’s POS suite replaces two separate legacy systems and introduces advanced payment options like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, RFID, Bluetooth and mobile ordering payments. Appetize will also integrate with the Kings loyalty platform, allowing fans to earn points via scanned ticket bar codes,” the franchise said.
