In a new article, Apple promoted the “SwingVision”, a tennis performance tracking that is exclusively available on the App Store. co-founder and CEO, Swupnil Sahai explains that his app uses artificial intelligence to make tennis more accessible.
Sahai shared that growing up tennis was more than a sport for him, it was his way to cope with stress. However, at the time, tools to measure his tennis performance were “expensive, cumbersome, and often hard to come by.” Luckily, that all changed when Apple Watch launch in 2015 which enable the creation of “SwingVision.”
“Back then, you had a few companies making sensors you could attach to your rackets, and they would track some data,” Sahai elaborates. “And in terms of using cameras, the closest thing was this 10-camera system that some high-end clubs had, but it was around $10,000 a court.”
When Apple Watch launched in April 2015, Sahai recognized the potential of a device that would bring intelligence right to a user’s wrist. The seed for the idea that ultimately became SwingVision began to sprout.
SwingVision app uses Apple’s Neural Engine to analyze tennis players’ form and strokes in real-time
Powered by Apple’s Neural Engine in iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, Sahai and his partner launched the SwingVision on the App Store in November 2019 to offer a unique on-court experience to tennis players in real-time.
The app provides automated scoring and stats using a single camera to track shot speed, analyze match stats, get scoreboards on video, trim dead time, ger personalized coaching sessions, and more.
The app recently launched a new function that enables tennis enthusiasts to contest out-of-bounds calls right from their wrists using Apple Watch. “It’s almost pushing the limits of humanity because it allows you to call lines more accurately than you could with your own eyes,” Sahai says.
“Everything we’ve been able to do in terms of processing video in real time — getting insights right away, allowing users to challenge line calls right there on the court — none of that would be possible without the Neural Engine.”
Sahai also said that his team is working on launching a remote coaching feature on the app which would remove the geographic barriers to getting help and guidance.
“This will make the development of tennis more accessible,” Sahai says, looking ahead at the future of the sport. “That’s always been a problem people have perceived: the notion that you need more money to be able to play it. I think we’re going to be able to break that barrier.”
SwingVision is available on the App Store for free with in-app purchase subscription plans starting from $24.99. It is compatible with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac and requires iOS 14.0 or later, macOS 11.0 or later.
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