A Daresbury startup is collaborating with Rezzil to develop accessories for the Meta Quest Pro Headset to enhance the training of elite football clubs around the world.
4D Products, based at Sci-Tech Daresbury, is teaming up with the VR/AR sports training equipment provider on a series of projects.
The accessories are intended for use by professional football players during their training sessions and will form part of Rezzil’s offering of rigorous training games and drills used by professional athletes across several sports, including basketball, Formula 1 and combat sports.
Clubs that already use Rezzil VR equipment for their training include Nottingham Forest, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City – who just secured an historic treble after beating Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
The new PoC VR Controller Adapter, designed specifically by 4D to be used by top football clubs around the world, was demonstrated at the Facebook Meta show in Rotterdam in January using high quality prototypes.
During the design process, 4D used a 3D printer in their studio to quickly test and validate the design principles through 3D printed prototypes. This was a critical part in speeding up the design process whilst working towards creating production-like parts for the Meta show in an extremely short time frame.
The production-like prototypes were vital for the client and played a large part in driving interest for pre-orders during the show. Without rapid prototyping methods like 3D printing and a trusted supplier network, it would have been impossible to create what was needed to successfully demonstrate the product in the tight schedule.
Now, using the facilities and support from the campus team at the Innovation Centre at Sci-Tech Daresbury, 4D are taking the prototypes to the mass production stage and developing packaging for the product to be sold on eCommerce platforms across the world.
James Bell, Managing Director at 4D Products said: “It’s very exciting to be working with Rezzil to develop top-of-the-range training equipment to be used by some of the most accomplished athletes in the world.
“We’re looking forward to bringing these VR accessories to market and taking another step forward in the relationship between sports and technology. The Metaverse is something that will likely impact on all of our lives, and so it’s up to innovators like us to create the products that will ensure its potential can be fully achieved.”
John Leake, Business Growth Director at Sci-Tech Daresbury, said: “4D Products are a shining example of the ambitious companies working on campus to deliver world-class technology to international markets.
“It’s companies like 4D that make Sci-Tech Daresbury a hub of innovation and collaboration in the North West, and we’re proud to support their work through the campus team and state-of-the-art facilities we offer to businesses on site.”