Structure From Motion and Its Application in Augmented Reality and Sports Optical Tracking

The growing use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in sports is due to the overall enhancements these visualization techniques provide. These technologies have the potential to enhance athlete performance, optimize training outcomes, and improve the overall quality and fairness of sports competitions. While AR and VR technologies have made significant strides in enhancing various aspects of sports, there are still several gaps and challenges that need to be addressed to fully realize their potential in the sports industry. Some of the notable gaps include motion tracking accuracy. Achieving high-precision motion tracking in three-dimensional (3D) environments, especially during fast-paced sports activities, can be challenging. Ensuring accurate tracking of athlete movements, gestures, and interactions is crucial for providing fair judging, and immersive and responsive experiences. In this paper, we address the improvements in the underlying algorithms that are responsible for the accurate 3D reconstruction of objects using Structure from Motion (SfM). To demonstrate the practical applications and implications of this technology in real-world sporting scenarios, we present a case study focused on ball tracking in cricket and show how these techniques can improve tracking accuracy for better match adjudication.