News in Brief

Hologram Particle Screen for McEnroe vs. McEnroe

Subscription service ESPN+ has streamed what they claim to be the world’s first tennis match featuring a real person versus a virtual player. In the match streamed on 7 May, John McEnroe faced off against his younger self – represented by a virtual player powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

The 45-minute film showcased how the match was created using a combination of AI and machine learning, plus five virtual avatars of John McEnroe from pivotal points of his career. The avatar game system was projected on a hologram particle screen and was a simulation of gameplay with a system of ball launchers and ball return robots.

When (the real) McEnroe sends the ball over the net, the avatar responds to the direction of the real ball. As the avatar swings, a new ball is fired from the ball cannon and then flies through a smokescreen at a precise point in space to make it appear from the avatar’s racket position. From what is shown in the trailer, the hologram particle screen makes the virtual John McEnroe look a bit blurry and distorted.