SAS taught kids data literacy through an AI batting cage

SAS needed to show the value of analytics to people who might not care about enterprise software. Rather than explain algorithms, it picked a familiar problem: a young player trying to improve a swing.

The Batting Lab measured contact, movement, weight shift and ball flight, then used computer vision and SAS Event Stream Processing to turn each swing into coaching recommendations. NC State baseball and softball players supplied elite reference swings.

The move worked because the data had an immediate purpose. Kids were not learning charts in the abstract; they were reading their own swing data, trying again, and seeing both sports progress and data confidence rise.

Teach data through a body movement

It translated B2B analytics into a physical feedback loop anyone could understand.

The same measurement system taught the user and demonstrated the product.

Baseball gave the data a built-in motivation: improve the next swing.

For technical products, a live instrumented experience can make invisible capability easier to trust than a demo deck.

SAS said The Batting Lab won PRNEWS' 2023 Social Impact Award for Education Campaign. Its project page says that after twelve sessions, 9 of 10 kids reported extreme confidence reading charts and graphs, up from 3 of 10 at the start.