During the television broadcast of the 37th America's Cup, viewers will for the first time be able to observe a crucial yet often invisible aspect of the sport: the wind. This is thanks to the multinational consultancy firm Capgemini, which has collaborated with the America's Cup media team to develop the WindSightIQ program.
WindSightIQ utilizes lidar, sensor fusion, and scientific computing technologies to display wind patterns in augmented and virtual reality graphics, which can be shown on screens during the broadcast. The event started last month and will continue until October.
The wind field data collected by WindSightIQ is also fed into a sailing simulator, creating a "ghost boat" that can be projected onto the racecourse, showing the optimal path sailors should take based on variables such as wind direction, speed, shear, and pressure. These data are not provided to the sailors, who must rely on their intuition and training to plan the fastest route, just as their predecessors have done since the inception of the race in 1851.
Grant Dalton, CEO of the America's Cup event, said: "Before and after the races, commentators can now see real-time wind patterns and explain the choices of the competitive sailing teams to the audience. Being able to see the unseen wind and compare the team's actual performance and tactical decisions with the best route means that viewers can engage with the race on a whole new level."