Conjuring up unique ways to test the limits of the body through sport is about the most human exercise that people can engage in. That’s exactly why artificial intelligence (AI) is joining in on the fun.

Design firm AKQA says that it has introduced the world’s first-ever sport designed by AI, which it calls “speedgate.”

The game, according to the firm, was created by feeding rules from 400 different sports into a neural network and letting a computer combine them based on three key factors. Researchers say they wanted the final product to be easy to learn, accessible to all athletes and be physically engaging, or a good workout.

The results from AKQA’s experiment look a little something like if rugby* were combined with Quidditch* and then were added just a sprinkle of lacrosse* to the amalgam*.

In practice, the game works by placing competitors in a pill-shaped field — two teams of six players each — and then having them work together to pass or kick a ball through three different gates created by parallel posts. What really stands out in speedgate, however, is in its name.

The ball has to move every three seconds otherwise players incur a penalty, ensuring a pace befitting of the title of the sport.

While AI may have done the grunt work* of mapping out ideas, rules, parameters and even logos and taglines for the sport, in the end it was up to humans to determine exactly what worked and what didn’t.

Speedgate, says AKQA, was selected out of three finalists and was the result of human testing and honing of the AI’s thousands of outputs.

AKQA is actively promoting potential players to start their own leagues.

(SD-Agencies)