Air Tennis
Read the story- Brand
- American Express
- Year
- 2017
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Finance
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- Installation
- Agency
- Momentum Worldwide
Objective
American Express used the activation to make its long-running USTA sponsorship tangible for fans on-site, giving ticket holders — not just cardmembers — a reason to engage with the Fan Experience area and extending a run of tech-forward US Open stunts that included the "You vs. Sharapova" VR experience and Pro Walk.
Solution
Players step up to a screen with no racket, controller, or gear of any kind — a motion sensor reads their body as an AI opponent serves the ball on-screen. Swinging an arm and turning the body returns the shot, and the instant the racket-less "hit" lands, jets of air fire into the player's palm from tubes around them, so the impact is felt rather than just seen and heard over 3D sound. The goal is simply to keep the rally alive as long as possible, with up to eight players rallying side by side at their own stations. Brand ambassador Venus Williams played the first session on opening day.
- 1
At the American Express Fan Experience during US Open, open to all tournament attendees, a visitor steps into one of eight side-by-side game bays, each set up in front of its own screen so multiple people play in parallel.
- 2
No racket, controller, or headset is handed out; the player simply stands in a marked zone while a motion sensor reads their silhouette and body to calibrate the game to them.
- 3
An AI-controlled opponent appears on screen and serves the ball to start the point.
- 4
The player swings an arm and body to return the ball, with the system tracking the motion and replaying it in-game in place of a racket stroke.
- 5
Contact with the ball triggers a timed burst of air into the player's palm from five surrounding jets, and the direction of the air cues where the ball is coming from.
- 6
3D sound and on-screen graphics accompany each rally, combining with the air feedback to present the match as a "4D" experience rather than a screen-only game.
- 7
The player's goal is to keep the ball in play and return as many of the AI's serves as possible, building the longest rally.
