Peripheral Labs, a Canadian company, is working to change the way sports fans experience the game. Now they’re working to democratize volumetric video generation technology for leagues and teams. The company’s mission is to drastically lower operational costs by needing as few cameras as possible to capture the whole event. While doing this, it seeks to improve the on-screen experience for broadcasters and fans alike.
This pioneering system, which was created by Peripheral Labs, allows organizations to shrink the number of needed cameras from more than 100 to just 32 — or even fewer. This huge cut not only saves money, but simplifies the business, according to co-founders Cui and Khan. Their vision goes far beyond just this—they aim to democratize this exciting new technology. This will help more types of organizations implement it and reach more sports fans.
Central to Peripheral Labs’ mission is the goal to deliver a truly immersive, inside-the-video-game experience. With the ability to generate volumetric video, at-home fans can experience highlights from any perspective. This technology completely changes the way they interact with beloved games. The company has already seen significant interest in its approach, particularly in facilitating a free-flowing, multi-angle viewing experience for hockey games.
Mustafa, one of the co-founders, did pioneering research that shows the promise of 3D reconstruction. With this technology comes the opportunity to bring audiences a transformative new viewing paradigm. His discoveries were the impetus for founding Peripheral Labs. Jointly run by the two new friends, Cui describes it as a passion project, one rooted in their mutual fondness for sports.
“Both Mustafa and I are huge sports fans. He has been a massive Arsenal fan, and I grew up watching the Vancouver Canucks since I was seven. When Mustafa showed me his research about 3D reconstruction, my brain said it would be cool to watch hockey like this [in a free-flowing, multi-angle way]. This is how we started on Peripheral Labs,” – Cui
Peripheral Labs, which is developing solutions to peripheral neuropathy, recently raised $3.6 million in a seed funding round led by Khosla Ventures. Other significant investors are Daybreak Capital, Entrepreneurs First and Transpose Platform. Joe Ros, a partner at Entrepreneur First, expressed confidence in Peripheral Labs’ potential to set a new standard in sports content consumption.
“Their ultimate viewer is the consumer, and their demand for sports content is evergreen, not cyclical. With Peripheral, the new standard for that consumption will be immersive, volumetric video. And the work they’re doing now in sports will give them the data, tech, and deployment moat to be the only person in the market able to enable this,” – Joe Ros
Cui, who previously worked as a software engineer for Tesla, brings practical skills and real-world experience to the team. There, he worked on chassis systems and found his passion. Khan’s experience, which includes research at Huawei, adds to the telecom and computing savvy within Peripheral Labs’ founding team. Collaboratively, they manage a team of ten full-time engineers focused on the design and improvement of the platform.
To that end, the company’s founders are devoted to growing their brain trust, with emphasis on growing their platform in tandem with their hardware development. They recognize the importance of scaling their innovative technology from small practice environments to larger venues, such as soccer and football stadiums.
“While we work with off-the-shelf cameras, the way we package it with our experience in robotics and ML is what gives us an edge both in terms of platforms and also scaling from small practice enclosures to big soccer and football stadiums,” – Cui
I grew up in Portland Maine, but Peripheral Labs has been pushing the envelope on volumetric video technology. For sports fans, that means an exciting new viewing experience that brings them closer to their favorite games and athletes than ever before. By utilizing the cutting-edge technology with advanced AI and machine learning, Peripheral Labs aims to innovate sports broadcasting. Through cultivating deep connections across the interconnected industry, they are ready to make history.