Rafa Nadal and Telefónica bring virtual reality and 3D interactivity technologies to tennis

The Telefónica Flagship Store has been the setting to also show the Movistar Nadal Challenge with interactive modules with 3D animations and motion control, in addition to hosting an exhibition of the trophies from Rafa Nadal's sporting career, so far only seen at the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience.

The number 1 of world tennis, Spaniard Rafa Nadal, has been the undisputed protagonist of the presentation made by Telefónica an el Flagship Store, located in the historic building of Madrid's Gran Vía, of the application of the latest virtual reality technologies in a pioneering game with the athlete as the center, to which other actions have been added such as the Movistar Nadal Challenge.

In this last case, This set of actions around the tennis player focuses on a circuit that will travel through different cities that has six interactive modules designed with 3D animations and motion control technology., among others.

For example, in the 'Return the serve' module, visitors will have to return serve to Rafa Nadal with a simulated racket (mobile device). The position will process more than 7.200 data with the different integrated sensors, that measure linear acceleration, rotation and angular displacement.

In another module -‘Train with Rafa’-, The tennis player challenges the visitors to perform the same movements that he does to start training. In this position the Kinect motion control system is used, along with depth and infrared sensors, in addition to the simultaneous analysis of twenty-five points on the player's body to compare them with their movements.

Besides, Telefónica Flagship Store hosts an exhibition in which they are shown for the first time outside the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience (more information about this center in Digital AV Magazine) the most important trophies of the tennis player's sporting career, as the fourteen most significant pieces of his career, both individual and team, on clay or grass, Grand Slams, Masters and Olympic Games.

In this sense, The athlete has spoken about his tennis academy -Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar-, which he has described as “the most important professional and vital project of my career.”; It's very special to me. The academy is a training center for athletes where they are given all possible opportunities so that they can reach their maximum potential., and is equipped with the latest in technology applied to sports. “This willingness to use the latest is something we share with Telefónica”.

Nadal was accompanied at the presentation of the exhibition by the sports journalist Carlos Martínez and the director of public affairs of the presidency of Telefónica, Francisco de Bergia, who highlighted that “in 2016 We launched an international call focused on finding startups that will develop technological solutions for the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, in which more than 160 startups from Asia, Europa, North America, Latin America and Oceania”.

For virtual reality gaming experience, that Rafa Nadal himself experienced playing against himself during the presentation and that will be available in the Flagship Store until next 12 December, three different techniques have been used: a 360º stereoscopic video of the tennis player recorded on a 9x4x4 m chroma key. with which the sensation of volumetry has been achieved; a photogrammetry, based on more than three hundred photos and 3D modeling and animation software to take Rafa Nadal and his environment from the real world to the virtual world, as well as real time scenarios to move and interact with objects, spaces and with Rafa Nadal himself.

https://youtu.be/RfukGjq0sWU