Fan safety technology for baseball stadiums

1. Fan Safety
Technology for
Baseball
Stadiums
by: Aaron Wilson

2. 1.
Introduction
“Fan safety is
paramount” -
MLB Commissioner
Rob Manfred

3. Anti-reflective curved glass will be installed to
replace the current netting and extend down
each foul line.
▣ Curved glass can be molded to fit the unique
designs of MLB stadiums.
▣ Anti-reflective coating is effective for outside use.
▣ HoloPro technology allows for interactive images
to be displayed on the glass.

4. 2.
Statement of
the Problem
“It’s the age of
the selfie” - M.
Delatorre

5. Tonya Carpenter
Suffered life-
threatening injuries
after being struck in
the head by a broken
bat on June 8th, 2015.
She was sitting
between home plate
and third base where
the protective netting
ends. (ESPN.com,
2015)
About 1,750 spectators get hurt each year by
batted balls at MLB games (Glovin, 2013).
While the average
person’s response to a
ball still allows them
more than adequate
time to react if they
are paying attention,
the increased use of
cell phones at the
ballpark create a
dangerous
atmosphere for fans.

6. 3.
Purpose
Statement
To give fans
one less thing
to worry
about when
enjoying a
game.

7. ▣ Installation and maintenance
cost of the glass will be
covered by advertisements.
▣ Enhanced fan interaction
through the use of a touch
screen on the glass.
▣ Glass will glow with light to
warn players chasing a foul
ball.
▣ Padding lies on top of glass
to prevent injuries to
players/fans.
Protective glass will solve the issue of fan safety
while still allowing for a clear view of the game.

8. 4.
Brief Review of
the Competition
“We have lots
of fans who
are very vocal
about the fact
that they
don’t like to
sit behind
nets.” - MLB
Commissioner Rob
Manfred

9. The glass will be competing with the
expanded netting going into effect for the
2016 season.

10. 5.
Design

16. Summary
▣ Anti-reflective curved glass will be used in
MLB stadiums to improve the safety of fans
from objects leaving the field of play.
▣ Glass replaces current netting and extends
down both foul lines.
▣ High enough to protect fans, low enough to
preserve fan interaction.
▣ HoloPro and chroma keying used to generate
ad revenue, enhance fan interaction.
▣ Padding on top of glass and HoloPro gesture
control used for player safety.

17. Appendix
In future developments of this concept, glasses
with high elastic moduli may be used to enhance
the strength of the glass.

18. Operational Terms
Chroma Keying: Otherwise known as green screen technology, chroma keying is the
process by which a specific color element (chroma) is removed from a video scene and replaced
(keyed) with a different element. It is essentially the way video producers remove one
background and replace it with another (Malone, 2010).
Silbrade: Soft, silicone tubing that was designed for medical purposes. Silbrade is
able to resist extreme temperature variation from -80°F to 350°F, making it ideal for use in all
outdoor conditions (United States Plastics Corporation, 2015).
Trajectory: The curved path along which something moves through the air
(Trajectory, 2015).
Velocity: The quickness of motion, or speed (Velocity, 2015).
Exit Velocity: Measures a player’s bat head speed in miles per hour (MPH) as well as
the efficiency and power of their swing mechanics. (Reida, 2014)

19. Operational Terms Cont.
4G LTE: The term 4G LTE is really two terms. 4G means the fourth generation of data
technology for cellular networks ̶ following 3G, the third generation. LTE stands for Long Term
Evolution and is short for a very technical process for high-speed data for cell phones and other
mobile devices. Together, they make 4G LTE ̶ the fastest 4G service available today (Pica, 2012).
Curved laminated glass: Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that holds together
if it is shattered. Designed by the company Curved Glass Solutions, laminated glass is normally
used when there is a possibility of human impact. Each piece of curved glass has to be custom
made depending on the measurements (Curved Glass Creations, 2015).
Luxar anti-reflective coating: Prevents disturbing reflections on glass surfaces from
sunlight. This optical thin-film coating can be applied to all types of glass, including the
laminated glass used in this concept (Hy-Tech-Glass, n.d.)

20. Operational Terms Cont.
HoloPro: Enables projection onto glass in daylight while maintaining transparency. This is
made possible by the patented HoloPro technology: holographic optical elements are beamed
onto a highly transparent film by laser. This is then embedded in glass. There is no darkening
necessary, it is an eye-catcher, displays brilliant colors, has a sharp picture, and is extremely
durable. HoloPro will be used as an information system for fans and players in combination
with touch or gesture control (HoloPro, n.d.).
Holographic Optical Elements (HOE’s): is a hologram of a point source and acts as a
lens or a mirror having optical power, i.e., the ability to focus light. (Gentry, 2013).
High elastic moduli: Also known as Young's modulus, measures the resistance of a
material such as glass to elastic (recoverable) deformation under load (Rosales-Sosa et al.,
2015).

21. References
Hagen, Paul. (2015, November 19). Expanded Safety Nets, in-Market Streaming Coming in '16.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/157696528/mlb-to-expand-safety-nets-in-market-streaming
ESPN.com news services. (2015, June 8). Woman Injured by Broken Bat at Fenway Park Remains in Serious
Condition. http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/13024139/woman-injured-boston-red-sox-game-
serious-condition
Glovin, David. (2014, September 9). Baseball Caught Looking as Fouls Injure 1,750 Fans a Year.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-09-09/baseball-caught-looking-as-fouls-injure-1-750-
fans-a-year
Muret, Don. (2011, February 7). Virtual Ads Gain Traction in NHL.
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2011/02/20110207/Media/NHL-virtual-ads.aspx
Malone, Simon. (2010, August 20). What is Chroma Keying and How Do Green Screens Work?
http://www.virtualstudio.tv/blog/post/14-what-is-chroma-keying-and-how-do-green-screens-work
Trajectory. 2015. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/trajectory

22. References Cont.
Velocity. 2015. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/velocity
Ulanoff, Lance. (2015, November 5). Japanese Scientists Create Super-Strong Glass, But Don't Call it
'Unbreakable'. http://mashable.com/2015/11/05/smartphones-ultra-hard-glass/#siayzEv4Mkqf
Reida, Tad. (2014, January 31). Hitting Exit Velocity: What is it and Why Does it Matter?
http://www.checkswing.com/profiles/blogs/hitting-exit-velocity-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter
FoulBallzAdmin. (2015, September 1). No Netting Needed for Foul Balls: Baseball Fan Reaction Times Are
Sufficient When Paying Attention. http://foulballz.com/foul-ball/no-netting-needed-contrary-to-popular-
belief-baseball-fan-reaction-times-are-sufficient-when-paying-attention/
Qualcomm Technologies. (2013, August 15). MLB And The Connected Fan.
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/spark/2013/08/15/mlb-and-connected-fan
Pica, Tom. (2012, April 30). What is 4G LTE and Why it Matters.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/news/article/2012/05/what-is-4GLTE-and-why-it-matters.html

23. References Cont.
Delatorre, M. (2015, October 1). Let Me Take a Selfie: Baseball Announcers Commentate on Girls’ Selfie Session.
http://kfor.com/2015/10/01/let-me-take-a-selfie-baseball-announcers-commentate-on-girls-selfie-session/
Gentry, Bruce. (2013, February 13). Holographic Optical Elements (HOEs).
http://web.archive.org/web/20130215114430/http://harlie.gsfc.nasa.gov/HOES/HOEs.htm
United States Plastic Corporation. (2015). Silbrade® Medical Tubing. Retrived from
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=104746&catid=799
Curved Glass Creations. (2015). Retrived from http://curvedglasscreations.com/about-curved-glass.html
Rosales-Sosa, G., Masuno, A., Higo, Y., Inoue, H., Yanaba, Y., Mizoguchi, T.,… Watanabe, Y. (15 October 2015). High
Elastic Moduli of a 54Al2O3-46Ta2O5 Glass Fabricated via Containerless Processing.
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep15233
MLB Advanced Media. (2015). Statcast Leaderboard. http://m.mlb.com/statcast/leaderboard#exit-velo
Hy-Tech-Glass. LUXAR anti-reflective glass. http://www.luxar.ch/en/products/anti-reflective-glass/luxar.html
HoloPro. HoloPro™ the patented solution for living projections on glass.
http://www.holopro.com/en/products/holoprotm.html

24. Thanks!
Any questions?