Robots will number among the 55,000 soccer fans at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium this season after the reigning EPL champion renewed its partnership with UBTECH Robotics.
The team will use UBTECH’s Cruzr model, a humanoid service robot, at its home ground to improve the fan experience. The robots are designed to provide information, sing, dance, and otherwise enhance fans’ time at games. UBTECH’s Alpha 2 robot was programmed with the entire history of Manchester City in 2017, and challenged Man City players in circuit training and dancing.
“We are delighted to announce this extension to our partnership with UBTECH,” said Damian Willoughby, SVP of partnerships at City Football Group, in a statement on the club’s website. “This is a truly unique partnership that has provided entertaining content between fans, players and robots that has been enjoyed around the world.”
Last year, Man City and UBTECH brought the robots into the Manchester community to support coding and science, technology, engineering, and math educational programs in the area. Now the team will pursue an international approach, bringing the robots into sister communities in Melbourne and New York.
SportTechie Takeaway
Man City has been at the forefront of embracing technology as a way to increase fans’ enjoyment of its product. Aside from the robots, the team rolled out a Facebook Messenger game in December and on Monday, the team introduced smart wristbands for supporters. The wristbands offer fans real-time information about the team, and contactless purchasing for concessions.