This season, fans of the Baltimore Ravens can get their gameface on without actually doing anything to their face.
The Ravens are the first NFL team to use augmented reality face painting, courtesy of a partnership with AR firm Faceware Interactive, according to an official team announcement. Powered also by technology from Image Metrics, augmented reality face painting is available to fans within the Ravens mobile app.
Fans can select any of 13 different looks, including a Ravens-influenced Maryland state flag and a Ravens eye mask. Like Snapchat filters, the images appear virtually on the user’s face within the app and are shareable on social media and other messaging platforms.
The Ravens are not the first professional sports franchise to introduce the nifty feature. In August, MLS team Toronto FC debuted augmented reality face painting to its fans, and in June, FIFA brought AR to Facebook, allowing soccer fans worldwide to create shareable 3D face masks to drum up excitement for the Confederations Cup.
Augmented reality face painting isn’t the only AR experience the Ravens are introducing this season. Later in 2017, fans at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium can see themselves in the augmented reality “Fan Mirror,” a full-size, movable mirror on the stadium concourse. Then in 2018, stadium cameras will project face paint onto fans using the massive RavensVision video boards.
The augmented reality additions are part of a $120-million, privately funded plan to modernize the fan experience at M&T Bank Stadium. Other components of the plan include the installation of two 4K, ultra high-definition screens, SkyCam, and four 4K corner video boards.
“We want attending a game to be an amazing experience for our fans. We want to create lifelong memories. Our face paint executions are not only a cool way for our fans to show their team spirit, but they create those great memories,” Michelle Andres, senior vice president of Ravens Media, said in a statement.
The Ravens’ partnership with Faceware Interactive is for three years, and as of Sept 8, when they announced the AR face painting technology, fans could download or update their Ravens app to begin using the new feature.
That’s just in time for the Ravens’ 2017 home opener this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.