27 May 2017

The America's Cup: a 360-degree view

From This Way Up, 12:15 pm on 27 May 2017

NZ-built technology is aiming to put you right there onboard a racing America's Cup boat, looking in all directions as if you were there.

Sailing app 3

Sailing app 3 Photo: (Animation Research Ltd)

From a live feed streamed out of a Formula One racing car to a skier's helmet-cam, from Hawkeye to the Snickometer and ref-cams... more and more, tech is taking sports fans closer to the action. 

But getting a light, aerodynamic, reliable 360-degree camera onto an America's Cup boat travelling at close to 90 kilometres per hour is no easy feat.

Then there's the fact the teams are all pretty secretive about what happens on board the boat during competition for the Auld Mug. 

With the racing about to start in Bermuda, these are some of the challenges facing Ian Taylor and the team at Animation Research Ltd in Dunedin.