Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- AI-powered cameras like XbotGo allow parents to enjoy games without filming.
- XbotGo and Veo cameras offer automatic tracking and live streaming for sports events.
- AI technology improves game footage accuracy but may still make occasional errors.
SALT LAKE CITY — Parents can relate: You're at your kid's soccer, football or volleyball game and instead of cheering, you're filming.
That frustration sparked an idea for engineer David Tan: an AI-powered sports camera that films the game for you. It tracks your player, the ball or whatever you ask it to. His design is called the XbotGo.
"I started my journey of doing this in my garage," Tan said. "And boom, I didn't expect we'd go this far."
The XbotGo isn't the only AI-powered sports camera on the market. There are a growing number of tools that are changing the game and helping parents stay present while still catching every play.
Simple, affordable, and smart
Saratoga Springs dad Preston Griffin loves watching his daughters play soccer, but not through his phone screen.
"I'd rather not record at all than have to watch the game through my phone screen," Griffin said.
Like so many parents, he wanted to get out from behind the screen. So, he bought the XbotGo camera.
It's a gimbal that uses your smartphone's camera and built-in AI to automatically follow the action. Just download the app, mount your phone, and it records the game, while tracking the best shots.
It costs around $400, includes free livestreaming and has no monthly fees.
"My mom would love to watch her games, but she lives out of state. So she watches every game from her house just from the stream," Griffin added.
Built for team play
In Kaysville, Krista Hanks' son plays soccer. Their team uses the Veo Camera; a more advanced setup designed for team use.
"It's nice because our Saturdays are packed," Hanks says.
With five kids, weekends are a juggling act.
"We have soccer games going. We usually have to divide and conquer. My husband takes one, I take one. So it's nice, because we can still watch the game. We get a live link that's texted to our phone, and we can watch everything live. Or we get a copy of the game afterward and can just go through and pick out the highlights," Hanks said.
So how does it work?
"The system will track each player by their jersey number. So you can just watch clips of just whenever your kid touches the ball, and it's pretty cool," Hanks said.
The Veo camera starts at more than $2,000 for the basic camera and a year-long subscription.
The team splits the cost.
High-tech for high-level play
Highlight reels are a big deal, especially for competitive players.
Lisa Stebbing's son plays for the Utah Red Wolves Academy, a team where many hope to play in college or go pro.
"After a game, my son will go back and review game film. Typically, it's to pick the highlights that he likes best to add into his highlight reel," Stebbing said.
Highlight reels are a key part of the recruiting process.
"Before using tools like Hudl, it was really quite overwhelming," Stebbing added. "You'd have to capture the film, you'd have to edit it, you'd have to share it. And it was like a lot of times just using your iPhone or whatever tool you had. It was labor-intensive and also not great quality."
Utah Red Wolves Academy Coach David Meyer agrees.
"Honestly, it's unbelievable. When we first got it and I saw all the technology, I couldn't believe it," he said. "It breaks down every player's action throughout the game and gets it pretty much bang-on every time."
Hudl's pricing varies based on sport and level of play, but packages start at more than $2,000. Teams usually split the cost, and Meyer said it's money well spent.
"From my perspective as a coach, I watch back the games," Meyer said. "I'll watch the whole thing, but if I want to focus on goals for and against, or specific parts, it breaks it down into so many different pieces."
Downsides?
Family Tech Expert Sarah Kimmel pointed out — artificial intelligence can make mistakes.
"AI just isn't perfect," Kimmel said. "I wouldn't take everything it says as truth. You want to make sure, as you're getting that analysis and that data, maybe check into it and not just take it at its word."
Technology can occasionally misread jersey numbers, tag the wrong player or miss a key moment. But as AI improves, so does its accuracy.
"Now, people can just set up this camera, it's going to follow the action, and they can actually enjoy the game instead of trying to record the whole thing," Kimmel said.
