Virtually Live is a

patented A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

media method and system that uses visualization technology and

telemetry Telemetry is the in situ collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring. The word is derived from the Greek roots ''tele'', 'far off', an ...

to enable a fan experience of

virtually In mathematics, especially in the area of abstract algebra that studies infinite groups, the adverb virtually is used to modify a property so that it need only hold for a subgroup of finite index. Given a property P, the group ''G'' is said to b ...

attending live events and interact with them across multiple devices and platforms, creating an immersive and socially interactive experience.

Features

The Virtually Live media method and system allows for the real time visualization of live data for the purpose of producing a live CGI stream with very low latency. The inventors’ concept was to recreate live sporting and entertainment events in hyper-realistic scenery and allow users to participate in real time rather than just passively watch. Virtually Live is compatible with

HTC Vive HTC Vive is a line of Virtual reality, virtual and mixed reality Virtual reality headset, headsets produced by HTC, HTC Corporation. The brand currently encompasses headsets designed for use with Personal computer, personal computers as well a ...

and

Oculus Rift Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets, virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a virtual reality company founded by Palmer Luckey that is widely credited with reviving the virtual reality indust ...

Development and patents

Jamil El-Imad and Jesús Hormigo Cebolla conceived the Virtually Live method and system in 2008. Their idea was to create a media method that would take all the active elements of an event and transpose it in real time to a platform whereby people could feel a ‘sense of presence’ in the event. The media method would “capture all the telemetry and motion of an event, place it in a simulator, then bring the fans in to experience it.” Their technology was invented and patented globally from 2009 onwards. In 2010, the European Patent Office granted patents across 38 designated states: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Switzerland/Liechtenstein, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, Macedonia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Turkey. In 2011, the patent was granted in South Africa. In 2012, patents were granted in Singapore and the USA.

Applications in sports

In 2016, the first proof of concept was with the

Scottish Professional Football League The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As well ...

which used the platform to test a live football broadcast in virtual reality at

Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

during the showpiece national cup final. In March 2016, motor racing became the next sport to use the Virtually Live media system. The

Formula E Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars ...

used the Virtually Live media system to offer race fans an immersive, interactive racing experience. Formula E first tested the system at the Long Beach ePrix in California on April 2. In June, an app was made available for downloading to spectators who had an

headset. Fans were able to choose from several viewing points around the circuit, opting to watch from the edge of the track, in the top level of hospitality room, or even within the car of their choice. The spectator could click on a car, and suddenly he or she would be sitting in the car, in the driver’s seat, going around the simulated track, in the actual race position of the car, or fans could just watch the live broadcast feed as a spectator. In June 2018, the Formula E Championship management used the Virtually Live media system to create a gaming app to allow users to race against real Formula E drivers. The ''ghost racing'' app took real time telemetry data from actual Formula E races and fed it into the game so fans could drive alongside the real drivers as the race is going on. The app was launched in 2019.Formula E mobile game allows fans to race drivers in real time
SportsPro, April 26th 2019.

References

{{Reflist Video game development