Remember back when basketball courts had hardwood floors? You're right, most still do, although some may soon be switching over to the eye-popping dynamic-display ASB GlassFloor. Its first permanent installation was announced earlier this week.
Manufactured by a German company of the same name, the ASB GlassFloor has actually been around for over 10 years. That said, all of its previous uses have been temporary – it was essentially just laid overtop of the existing wooden floors in indoor sporting venues.
This Tuesday (Aug. 20th), however, the firm announced that the system is being permanently installed at the BMW Park arena in Munich, which is the home court of the partnering FC Bayern Basketball club.
A temporary version of the floor was used for the team's season opener last year. The permanent model is now being installed, with the ASB/FC partnership currently slated to run until 2030.
The ASB GlassFloor itself incorporates millions of LEDs which are set beneath a safety glass surface and supported by an underlying double-spring aluminum substructure. Utilizing a separate touchscreen tablet running GlassCourt OS software, users can set the LEDs to display traditional basketball floor markings, animated advertising, game data (such as quarter and score), flashy player introductions, or whatever else they wish.
The system can also be utilized during AI-enhanced practice sessions, displaying information such as players' real-time and optimal floor positions, their current ball-passing options, and even their present running speed.
And should the whole thing just sound like a recipe for slips and falls and broken glass, the floor's designers state the glass is approximately 2.5 times as elastic as hardwood flooring, plus an array of ceramic dots on its surface make it grippier (and less likely to cause friction burns) than hardwood.
The setup should last for 70 years, with the LEDs being good for a runtime of at least 100,000 hours. It also doesn't require resurfacing, unlike a wooden floor.
According to the ASB GlassFloor company, the floor is "certified for the highest level of competitions" by the International Basketball Federation, International Handball Federation, and International Volleyball Federation. The specific floor at BWW Park is pending official approval once its installation has been completed.
You can see it in animated LED action, in the video below.
Source: ASB GlassFloor