During the sold-out, Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Stadium Series game at Ohio Stadium, AirPixel showcased its cutting-edge camera tracking solutions in a live sports broadcast setting.
Working in collaboration with leading broadcast graphics provider GIRRAPHIC, the AirPixel team deployed both its UWB-based indoor system and the AirPixel XT GPS-based outdoor solution to track camera motion with precision in a complex, high-activity environment.
“Tracking cameras is very difficult—optical systems can really struggle in challenging conditions like bright lights, fireworks, or snow,” explained Julian Thomas, Founder and Managing Director of Racelogic. “With AirPixel, we use UWB beacons positioned around the stadium to emulate satellite coverage indoors, allowing us to deliver consistent 3D position and orientation data even where GPS can’t reach.”
The SkyCam, which traverses large vertical and horizontal distances during gameplay, was tracked using UWB beacons combined with inertial measurement for orientation (pan, tilt, and roll). For outdoor applications, including jib-mounted cameras, the AirPixel XT solution leveraged live-sky GPS and IMU data for real-time tracking accuracy.
“The big benefit is the lightweight footprint—just a small beacon mounted to the top of the camera,” said Billy Cromarty, General Manager at GIRRAPHIC UK. “It’s scalable across multiple cameras, fast to deploy, and gives us confidence that graphics remain locked in place from approval to broadcast.”
This live test at one of hockey’s biggest showcases confirms AirPixel’s reliability, speed of setup, and scalability for large-scale broadcast environments, both indoors and out.
AirPixel
GIRRAPHIC
Live AR Graphics using ...
Skycam
