What will stadiums look like in the future? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly investigate stadium technology and “future-proofing” in Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium with Chief Infrastructure Architect at IBM Sports, Benjamin Brillat. How do you future-proof a large building project? You’ll learn how IBM approaches technology in today’s rapidly evolving climate. How do you build to predict what technologies are yet to come? Are some recent stadiums already obsolete? We explore Los Angeles Rams SoFi Stadium. Discover more about the transparent roof that covers the field and how the builders earthquake-proofed the stadium. You’ll hear about the record-breaking jumbotron that wraps around the entire stadium and more incredible engineering. What sort of advancements in technology would eliminate the need for stadiums? How close are we to having an augmented display to watch your team in your home stadium when they’re playing an away game? Could you ever have an artificially intelligent football game that people watch? Benjamin tells us about the technology that’s happening behind the scenes that the fans don’t see. Lastly, we turn our attention to the bigger picture. You’ll hear why user experience is the first and foremost thing on Benjamin’s mind when developing ideas for new stadium experiences. We also explore the rise of gambling in the United States and its possible impact on stadium experience. All that, plus, we discuss the trend of developing a stadium “campus” that encompasses many assets of entertainment to keep fans coming during off-days. Thanks to our Patrons Kyle Odren, Eileen Aldrin, Francis, Ashvin Lakshmikantha, Tarun, Olivia Chang, Blaine Torkelson, ANKreutzberg, and GibbousLife for supporting us this week. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free. Get the NEW Cosmic Queries book (5/5 ⭐s on Amazon!): https://amzn.to/3dYIEQF Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson 0:00 - Preface and Preparing for The Future 9:47 - Introduction 11:43 - IBM's involvement in the sports industry 16:48 - SoFi Stadium's high-tech roof 18:20 - The future of stadium roofs 19:36 - New challenges that come with new construction materials 23:00 - Can you earthquake-proof a stadium? 24:46 - Mercedes-Benz stadium's disaster proofing 26:22 - Who are stadiums designed for? 29:14 - The world's largest scoreboard 31:39 - How AR and VR will enable the future of sport's entertainment 35:58 - The hidden tech of futuristic stadiums 41:26 - Sports from the player's POV 44:04 - Does the pace of technological evolution bring with it the threat of obsolescence? 45:11 - Do we actually need stadiums? 47:03 - How do we enhance the fan experience? 48:30 - What's the business model for stadiums of the future? 54:55 - Why it takes longer to charge the last bit of the battery and Smart Parking 58:21 - Final Thoughts