ASB GlassFloor’s groundbreaking LED video sports floor is redefining how we think of LED. Christof Babinsky explains his unique approach to rethinking display technology.
LED is moving, quite literally, out of the box. In recent years, the widespread proliferation of LED has allowed the technology to mature and grow, not just into practically every sector of the commercial market, but also outside of its normal, rectangular restraints.
This innovative mindset is the key to success for Christof Babinsky, managing director, ASB GlassFloor, which has made waves and dropped jaws across the globe with its pioneering approach to integrating LED beneath a damage-resistant surface that is ideal for use in sport stadiums.
Babinsky explains: “I started studying business management in the UK; Towards the end of my studies, my father asked if I’d like to work for his company, which I initially refused. However, the glass floor concept was very interesting, and the business is still a market leader in manufacturing squash courts. My father licensed out the business to the company that was producing traditional courts that produced them for him at the time, and I took over the technology part of the company in 2012. We gave away 80% of the turnaround and started thinking about producing glass floors, and now, 12 years later we have really made it.
“The very first glass floor was produced in 2004 and shown to the world in 2006 at an Austrian squash championship. The first floor happening outside of a squash court was installed in 2009 and is still running there without maintenance after 12-13 years of usage. The company grew from 2013 onwards with [a focus] on the glass floor, piece by piece.
“Groundbreaking technology often requires early adopters that are forward-thinking, openminded and, a little brave, to see the potential of a technology as Babinsky explains: “People didn’t quite get the concept initially, doing professional sports on a surface made from glass. The turning point for us was summer 2023 when we did the FIBA U19s women’s basketball world cup in Madrid [in partnership with Absen].
“We achieved International Basketball Federation (FIBA) accreditation for level one competitions in 2022, where FIBA would take our surfaces and put them into official basketball spaces and be a priority client for us. Everything took off from there! We went to the German Bundesliga, NBA, and the FIBA Champion’s League Finals.”
ASB GlassFloor partnered with FC Bayern Basketball Club at the BMW Park in Munich, Germany, providing a permanent full-LED video sports floor at the stadium after the success of a temporary version used for the team’s opener in 2023.
ASB’s GlassFloor uses millions of LEDs set beneath a safety glass surface, supported by a double spring aluminium substructure, incorporating a touchscreen tablet running GlassCourt OS software that allows users to display traditional basketball floor markings, animated advertising, game data, player introductions, and more.
The setup is designed to last for 70 years, with a reported LED runtime of at least 100,000 hours, with a setup that reportedly does not require resurfacing. The glass itself is claimed to be 2.5 times as elastic as hardwood flooring, featuring ceramic dots on its surface to improve grip and reduce friction burns when compared to traditional hardwood.
The system can also be used during practice sessions, displaying information such as players’ real-time and optimal floor positions, current ball-passing options, and even present running speed via AI integration.
Babinsky explains: “The video floor was never designed as an AV product. The floor itself was designed to be the best sport performance floor that we could build, and LED happened to be the way to go.
“We were contacted by a BMW agent to install at the BMW Park for the opening game. As we had Bundesliga approval, we could do that, and two months later we installed the setup and did the first game. We had a new screen being produced, and BMW Park was very interested in a permanent installation as early as November 2023.
“For us, it was important to have a permanent installation close by, and we have a technology partnership with FC Bayern Basketball to access the venue at any time, and we have the FCBB team that tests all of our tools, give us feedback, and this is where we will start to develop AI coaching tools and applications.”
Munich now operates as ASB GlassFloor’s training ground for its alpha and beta versions of software, as well as different kinds of fan activations, and different sports. While this offers a practical venue for Babinsky’s team to perfect its craft, this space also opens a golden template of how LED can be used to democratise spaces, opening up opportunities and unique experiences for organisations and the community at large.
“One of the visions that we have is to take the arena and give it back to the community”, says Babinsky. “It’s a prime location in terms of infrastructure and this court is used every two weeks for one game. We want to change that and to develop applications that allow the clubs, venue owners, and the city to take possession of the arena and make use of it; things like roller skate discos, children’s birthday parties, and bicycle riding schools, putting interactive maps on the floor when the court is not in use.”
ASB GlassFloor’s approach aims to redefine how LED is perceived, with the aim of incorporating LED directly into our lives through interaction and engagement instead of isolating LED to just a rectangle on a wall.
Babinsky says: “The glass design incorporates a deep etching that defines everything we do when combining glass and LED. The reason that our architectural installations are gaining traction is because of our product – digital wallpaper. We can take an LED screen and make it architecturally fit, something that you can touch and integrate with architecture and, most importantly, that isn’t a screen. Everything we do is far away from what screens are perceived to be, and we bring LED into architecture be it a sport’s floor or an architectural installation where the LED becomes a functional part of the building rather than a fancy addition.
“I believe that you will see a lot more of that happening in the future. The work environment during Covid changed a lot, and the ability to walk into a building and transmit a different ‘mood’ on a daily basis is something that employers will want and need in the future.”
With this cornerstone installation in place, ASB GlassFloor, has a number of high-profile installations underway, including the installation of what is believed to be the largest video floor in the world in Florida, USA, with a size of 1,300 square metres of video flooring.
From here, ASB GlassFloor will continue to break the mould both in the world of sports and further afield. “When we had the NBA sign up to use glass floors, we reached the pinnacle in indoor sports, and I need people to carry out a structured roll out of the product and to break down mental barriers that people have. Four years ago, I started ASB Architectural, installed a digital waterfall in Microsoft EMEA’s headquarters, and we do architectural installations like this.
“I see my role in the future moving towards that space, while also being involved in the sport side of things. The architectural side really interests me, for example train platforms with LED that blinks when a train is approaching, provides useful information, and advertising. I like the idea of people walking over digital surfaces in large public buildings, receiving information without them asking.
“I’m very interested in video tracking solutions at the moment, providing information when people need it on surfaces that are in front of them, without having to ask for it or using buttons. I believe that we need entertainment, information, or meaningful interactions without seeking it, and I see us moving more into this space going forwards.”
Main image: ASB GlassFloor's system, supported by Absen, at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Madrid. Photo credit: FIBA