PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers have become the first NBA team to pilot a haptic device during live games, so fans who are blind or experience vision loss can follow the game's movement.
The innovative device from OneCourt, a tech startup based in Seattle, translates the live ball and player movements on the court into vibrations that can be tracked through a fan's fingertips. This is all done using the NBA's live gameplay tracking data.
OneCourt and the Portland Trail Blazers tested out the device in Tuesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Blazers plan to continue the pilot at the final two home games of the season.
“This week’s OneCourt pilot is a testament to our organization’s commitment to both innovation and accessibility,” said Matthew Gardner, Portland Trail Blazers senior director of customer insights. “The pilot represents a unique opportunity to innovate the gameday experience while opening the door for more fans to experience the thrill of live sports."
OneCourt was founded by four University of Washington graduates. The startup said it worked with people in the blind and low-vision community to design the laptop-sized haptic display, which has been used for both basketball and football games. It was awarded a grant from Microsoft’s AI for Accessibility Program and also recently won the 2024 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference Startup Competition.
“We're thrilled to launch OneCourt technology in-arena for the first time with the Portland Trail Blazers,” said Antyush Bollini, COO and Cofounder at OneCourt. “This collaboration signifies a major stepping stone in making live sports truly accessible for fans with blindness or low vision, and we are excited to see the positive impact this pilot has on our community. This pilot will pave the way for widespread adoption by other teams and leagues, transforming the gameday experience for countless fans.”