Tata Communications and Formula One are looking to provide race fans a virtually reality experience, and they are using a contest to do so.
The two companies announced the 2016 F1 Connectivity Innovation Prize in late May. The competition asks participants to create and design an immersive VR and or augmented reality experience for Formula One fans. The $50,000 prize will be awarded in Austin, Texas to the team that creates the most comprehensive VR and AR experience.
Tata Communications is a telecommunications company who partnered with Formula One in 2012, becoming the racing giant’s official communication provider. They help Formula One with everything from data services to running their website.
Want to see me at the #USGP? Your VR solution for @MercedesAMGF1 can also win you the $50k #tatacommsf1prize! Enter: https://t.co/FrTldu7732
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) July 7, 2016
The two companies hope their contest will produce a great VR experience for the fans. Formula One racing is a fast-paced sport, where drivers can speed through the course at up to 240 miles per hour. Courses are often massive making it hard for fans to truly appreciate the race as a whole. Tata and Formula One want to give their fans the most modern and action-packed experience as possible. Their VR challenge hopes to put fans in the driver’s seat.
Contestants must present a full end-to-end solution. Demonstrating how fans will experience their VR or AR and on what devices. They want fans to see, feel and hear a Formula One race like never before.
John Morrison, CTO of Formula One Management is very excited about the possibilities the contest provides. “We want to give as many fans as possible the opportunity to experience first-hand the thrill of a Grand Prix – and VR or AR could enable us to do just that… These technologies represent the next big innovation opportunity for the sport. In the not-too-distant future, they could enable fans to get virtually transported to a Grand Prix, complementing and enriching the race experience.”
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Tata’s massive network of undersea cables is one of the biggest in the world. The cables allow for faster data transmitting speeds. Their network represents 24 percent of the world’s Internet routing power according to Forbes. This gives Tata the ability to help Formula One reach their fans all around the world, and it will be vital for their future VR and AR experiences.
Formula One joined the race to provide fans immersive VR experiences. A race that has exploded throughout the sports world. They are not the first racing series to try and provide VR for their fans. We covered the San Francisco-based VR company Virtually Live’s partnership with Formula E in late March.
A group of six contestants will be chosen by a panel of judges that includes Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton. They will then travel to the United States Grand Prix in Austin on October 23rd where a winner will be crowned.
The contest’s first leg ended on June 16th. The second part is taking place now. When the winner of the 2016 F1 Connectivity Innovation Prize is announced in October, Tata and Formula One won’t be far away from providing race fans a great VR and AR experience.