Pittsburgh’s tech-savvy Penguins are on the cutting edge with a one-of-a-kind fan experience that takes you right to the heart of the action—the
Yinz Cam.
Carnegie Mellon University has teamed up with the Pens to give fans unique camera angles from wherever you may be sitting in Mellon Arena. Want a tight shot on Fleury? Check out the Goalie Cam. Pens in trouble? Zoom in with the Penalty Box Cam.
The Yinz Cam was launched in pilot-version during this month’s game against Columbus and it works only in Mellon Arena with most Wi-Fi enabled cell phones. Future rollouts will feature on-demand replays and interactive fan elements. The service is free.
“I’m a huge Penguins and Steelers fan,” admits Priya Narasimhan who was last seen in Pop City working on a gadget for the Steelers, a smart football and glove with sensors. (For the Pop City story, click
here.) “I wanted fans in the nosebleed seats—where students usually sit—to have a front row view of the goalie, the bench, right in their hand.”
The wireless signal is directed at the Igloo Club seats, but fans sitting in the Lower Bowl are able to access the service too. A total of 200 users will be supported at a time initially but the entire arena will be covered with full deployment, says Narasimhan. Fans can share their experience, get feedback from developers and post their pictures on the
YINZCAM Facebook Group.
Narasimhan gives the credit to the innovative spirit of the Penguins organization, specifically to collaborators Dave Soltesz, Chris DeVivo and Jeremy Zimmer.
“We hope we can continue this in the new arena,” Narasimhan adds. “Maybe we will provide it to other teams as a service. But for our fans, we can’t imagine a better service than this.”
To receive Pop City free each week, click
here.
Writer:
Debra Diamond SmitSource: Priya Narasimhan, Carnegie Mellon Mobility Center