Introduction

Indiana: How the US Sports Tech Hub Was Founded

Authored by

Sports Tech HQ (STHQ) is responsible for building a vibrant sports tech ecosystem in Indiana, a state in which foundational roots of sports and sports innovation are deep.

Two major sports league teams (Indiana Pacers – NBA and Indianapolis Colts – NFL) and many major sports organizations all call Indiana home. These include USA Track and Field, USA Gymnastics, USA Football, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Indiana is also known as one of the leading, global motorsports hubs. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest sports venue in the world and, each year, over 400,000 people attend the largest single-day sporting event in the world, the Indy 500.

The US’ first sports commission, Indiana Sports Corp, has procured major events such as the NBA All-Star Game (x2), the Pan Am Games, the World Gymnastics Championships, the World Basketball Championships, the World Swimming Championships, the US Olympic Team Trials and countless major college sports events.

Sports Tech HQ plays a pivotal role in fostering this growth, leveraging the state’s unique advantages to attract and accelerate sports technology companies. With a supportive business environment, affordable living costs, a strong talent pipeline, and a vibrant sports economy, Indiana offers all the necessary ingredients for sports tech success.

sthq.org

Scroll down to continue

Indy Autonomous Teams

Indiana has long been a cornerstone of the American sports landscape, having hosted nearly every major US sporting event. Indiana uses sports to build the economy and the community. We have a thriving ‘sportconomy’ that has been built on foundations of sports technology innovations and cutting-edge solutions which seamlessly integrate into the world of sports.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the Indy 500, was originally constructed to test new technology in automobiles. Drivers of the Indy 500 races wouldn’t just be competing, they live-tested seat belts, rear-view mirrors, front-wheel drive, and disc brakes that are now standard in modern cars.

Fast forward and imagine what could happen if every sport enjoyed such a hub of innovation; a venue dedicated to testing new large-scale experiences or a field dedicated to new sports data tracking. Well, that’s our goal. We want to build a global hub for sports technology in Indiana. We’re doing this by leveraging sporting events that are contested here, spotlighting technology being used, and placing innovation at the forefront of each experience.

2024 US Olympic Team Trials Pool Set in Lucas Oil Stadium

Making A Splash for The Olympics

The 2024 US Olympic Team Trials, a record-breaking event in both technology and attendance, showcased the need for a venue beyond traditional swimming pool facilities.

This was the first Olympic swimming pool to be built inside an NFL stadium and the largest temporary pool ever constructed, with 10 50-meter lanes and 7 25-meter lanes. The large venue also allowed for a record-breaking attendance of 22,689—the record for the largest crowd ever at a swim meet.

This Olympic-level feat was made possible by a group of Purdue University alumni working for an Indianapolis-based construction company, Shiel Sexton, in collaboration with a wide group, including Lucas Oil Stadium, Myrtha Pools, Dodd Technologies Inc., and Spear Corp.. Myrtha Pools technology was the perfect fit for designing the Olympic pool and a specially designed pool deck, which sat 8 feet above ground.

The 2024 US Olympic Team Trials were a testament to the close-knit sports ecosystem in Indiana whose events are made possible thanks to innovation, new technology, and collaboration.

ASB Glassfloor’s LED Court Displays for the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend

A Slam Dunk for the All-Stars

The 2024 NBA All-Star weekend was another event that pushed the boundaries of sports technology, hosted, once again in Lucas Oil Stadium.

On this occasion, the NBA revealed an immersive LED court made by ASB GlassFoor, designed to enhance the fan experience for viewers at home as well as for those inside the arena. GlassCourt OS, the software behind the ASB GlassFloor, transformed raw data into visually striking graphics by combining information from player tracking, sports analytics, and coaching tools.

The digital LED court featured:

Live replays
Real-time game stats
Location-based player tracking animations
Fan-engaging games

ASB GlassFoor’s LED court was used for the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night which featured the slam dunk contest, skills challenge, 3-point contest, and the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge.

Indy Autonomous Teams

A Tale of Two Venues

Lucas Oil Stadium isn’t the only show in town. Gainbridge Fieldhouse boasts an entire hospitality suite dedicated to enhancing the game experience through sound. Edge Sound Research has innovative technology, called Embodied Sound, which transforms ordinary objects like stadium seating or flooring into multi-sensory sound sources. This allows users to hear and feel sound in a more engaging and immersive way. Located in 50 Cent’s G-Unity suite, inside the fieldhouse, guests can experience the technology first hand. Edge Sound Research’s innovations open doors for deaf and hearing impaired sports fans to experience games in a new way.

Challenging Students

The Indy Autonomous Challenge brings university students from around the world to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to race their completely AI-coded, no drivers involved, Indy Cars. Teams come from Indiana University, Purdue University, Technische Universität München, Politecnico di Milano, Michigan State University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, MIT and more. The Indy Autonomous Challenge tests the limits of AI in motorsport, and gives academic institutions the opportunity to showcase their research and create new partnerships in technology.

Technology that enhances sports performance, experience, and management is projected to become a $100 billion industry by 2030, and Sports Tech HQ is positioned to help its collective of companies thrive as Indiana’s ‘sportconomy’ grows. Indiana is the breeding ground for innovation in sports––our history and commitment to growing sports tech is the ultimate proof.

Sources

Race To Develop Automotive, Safety Technology Never Stops at IMS

Purdue innovation takes the lead at Olympic swimming pool project in Lucas Oil Stadium.

How an NFL Stadium Transformed into a Swimming Pool for U.S. Olympic Trials

How USA Swimming will put a pool in Lucas Oil Stadium for the Olympic Trials

USA Swimming Celebrates Record-Breaking Attendance at Historic Olympic Trials

NBA unveils state-of-the-art LED court for All-Star 2024 events taking place at Lucas Oil Stadium

NBA All-Star 2024 – ASB GlassFloor

How the NCAA Tournament built its ‘bubble’ in Indianapolis | The Spokesman-Review

NFL Media Expands Combine Coverage With Player-Tracking Robo on Catwalk, Exclusive Show on NFL+. Teams – Indy Autonomous Challenge