case study: Fantastec
Engaging with e-sports fans with blockchain, data, and wearable technology
Fantastec Sports Technology is a pioneering SME, the first of its kind in blockchain and wearables. They have carved an innovative space in the industry and established excellent brand recognition.
the goal
Fantastec’s aim is to connect people through sport, allowing people to follow their teams alongside like-minded supporters in a truly multi-dimensional experience using new platforms and technologies. They approached Thrive to develop fundamental research and to use this to then plan and deploy experimental work, to take their fan data collection concept from the lab into the real world through prototyping.
the challenge
To leverage the e-sports revolution, which provides an opportunity to connect to fans in new and highly lucrative ways. Thrive needed to enable Fantastec to capitalise on this opportunity, building a solution that engaged with the e-sports community through sensors, networks and algorithms.
the solution
There are high levels of engagement from fans of traditional sport such as football, cricket and baseball, representing a huge opportunity for sports marketing. Thrive began with a Technology Strategy, assessing the feasibility of Fantastec’s potential product, gaining an understanding of the risks and potential, and using this to plot the way forward with the aim of delivering a hardware enabled service through a globally scalable blockchain.
The next stage of Thrive’s approach was the rapid development of the Feasibility Prototype, which reduced risks for full scale deployment by testing each component. This stage involved the development of a ground-breaking sensor combination, alongside connected infrastructure that captured and processed the data from users.
User trials and data collection, gained through access to fans attending Premier League grounds, allowed Thrive to establish machine learning algorithms. Once the technology requirement had been refined, Thrive used the insights to lay the foundations for patentable IP and ultimately a bespoke wearable product in the form of a wrist worn, multi sensor machine learning algorithm, mood detection, and accompanying digital service.
services
Technology Strategy
technologies
Sensors | Machine Learning
form factor
Wristband
The Thrive team has been our technology partner through the concept stage. They are designing and running field trials with UK based football fans to take our vision to mass production in a very tight timeframe. Their commitment and passion have been outstanding.
Simon Woollard, Fantastec
project lead
Dave is our Director of Innovation and the Project Lead for Fantastec. He is an expert innovator, with over 20 years of wide-ranging experience creating value through design and delivering new technologies to market. He has created and built intellectual property portfolios totalling over 70 granted patents to date. His specialism lies in hands-on, fast, iterative development, working with talented creative and technical teams to take great new ideas to market.
Dave Sandbach, Director of Innovation & Project Lead
