Huupe, the maker of smart basketball hoops, has added a new product to its range of AI devices.
The US-based company introduced Arena last week and co-founder Paul Anton had plenty to say about its features.
“This premium in-ground basketball system is powered by Huupe’s proprietary AI technology, delivering an elite, data-driven playing experience,” he told The National.
Mr Anton said that Arena, which is available at a base price of $2,995, provides players with rim impact charts, AI-powered shot form analysis, three-point percentages, field goal stats and interactive shot charts, among other data offerings.
“From just one small sensor hub at the top of the backboard, the Huupe Arena is able to track all of your stats (or your team's stats) on the court and allow you to play against other Huupe Arena users from around the world,” Mr Anton said.
The product links to smartphones to provide stats instantaneously and works with any basketball, he said.
“We built this product with love and for a desire to achieve perfection in a basketball hoop,” he added.
While basketball has been the main focus of Huupe, Mr Anton said the company was hard at work and would soon expand into other sports.
“We are actively working on our next product for soccer and it will be a game changer,” he said.
In 2022, Mr Anton and fellow Huupe co-founder Lyth Saeed, both originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, introduced what they described at the time as the world's first smart basketball hoop, Huupe Pro, which uses a display and apps to enhance the basketball experience.
Two years later, Huupe introduced a smaller version of the product, Huupe Mini, for use in the home.
Huupe Mini allows users to play with other owners around the world and can also be used, through an HDMI port and built-in Wi‑Fi, to connect to streaming services such as YouTube or Netflix.
The Mini, like the Pro, can track and analyse shooting performances through the use of advanced radar as well as light detection and ranging (lidar) technology.
“We've sold over 40,000 units of the Huupe Mini now and the accessory lines are doing very well too,” Mr Anton said. “The Huupe Arena is starting off strong now too.”
Arena is currently available in the US, but Huupe said it will be sold worldwide later this year.
In 2025, Huupe teamed up with Virgin Megastores in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt to bring its Huupe Mini products to new markets.
During a previous interview with The National, Mr Saeed, a Palestinian American, reflected on the importance of Huupe's products being available in so many markets.
“We have a lot of investors and backers in the Middle East and it means a lot to have our products make an impact in the region,” he said.
“I want to be a successful entrepreneur first and foremost, and that's what helps drive me every single day to be a successful Palestinian-American.”
