SAP, a German technology company with a rich history in extreme sailing sponsorships and analytics, has developed a new virtual-reality experience that places fans on a replica catamaran, where they can watch sailors race up close alongside a stream of relevant data.
“When you get to sit on the boat virtually, you almost feel how it lifts up and picks up speed,” said Milan Cerny, the technology and innovation lead of SAP’s Global Sponsorships business.
Sitting atop a trampoline on a mock-up of an actual GC32 Catamaran, users will wear headsets that place them alongside extreme sailors on the hull while being fed information from a number of sensors that toss key data points, such as real-time wind conditions, boat speed and water currents, throughout the race.