At New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering, Mario Mercado, founder and CEO of sports technology company BATS-TOI and Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Athletic Commission, is collaborating with faculty and students to advance a groundbreaking project that’s redefining the boundaries between digital performance and athletic motion.
The Challenge
Capturing authentic motion for wrestling game, Tekfall Supreme, without the occlusion and drift issues that limit traditional motion capture systems.
The Solution
By using Xsens IMU sensors with optical cameras, Mario and the NYU team built a hybrid system capable of recording full-contact wrestling without drift or occlusion. Students operated the setup end-to-end, gaining hands-on experience with the same technology used in professional game studios.
Key benefits
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Hybrid precision: IMU and optical tracking combine to deliver drift-free, occlusion-proof data – ideal for complex movement.
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Learning through practice: Students gain professional-level skills on industry-standard tools.
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Groundbreaking realism: In an industry first, the game’s unique “struggle mechanic” replicates the tension and dynamic feedback of real wrestling.
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Dual-purpose dataset: The same capture sessions power both game animation and real-world performance analysis, maximising the value of every movement.
Preparing students for the industry
Tekfall Supreme began as a creative goal to portray wrestling with the speed, weight, and unpredictability the sport deserves. But the process of building it has also become a live training ground for NYU students. They aren’t just observing mocap; they’re solving real production constraints in real time. Handling performer safety, troubleshooting capture issues during contact, and shaping raw data into usable assets for gameplay.
“This project gives students a chance to solve real problems using the same tools as professionals,” says Mario. “They’re learning motion, teamwork, and innovation through experience and helping preserve the authenticity of wrestling culture in the process.”
That practical immersion is already influencing curriculum conversations. Rather than focusing on any single vendor, the aim is to formalize the underlying skills, hybrid capture design, IMU fundamentals, optical integration, and data-to-animation workflows, so graduates leave with knowledge that travels across tools and studios.
Tekfall Supreme BTS: Motion capture session with professional wrestlers using Xsens mocap technology.
Innovation and insight
Tekfall Supreme also shows how game-grade mocap can create value beyond entertainment. The captured data isn’t only animating digital wrestlers, it’s being repurposed as a motion analysis resource for real ones.
Wrestlers and coaches can study technique, precision, and form with a level of detail typically reserved for elite performance labs. By translating the same datasets used to drive digital athletes into actionable feedback for physical training, the project builds a rare two-way bridge between gameplay and athletic development.
“Seeing the same movement serve both the game and the athlete is the exciting part,” says Mario. “We’re not just recreating wrestling for players, we’re finding new ways to understand it for the people who live it.”
Tekfall Supreme BTS: Motion capture session with professional wrestlers using Xsens mocap technology.
What’s next for NYU and Tekfall Supreme
With continued collaboration from Mario, NYU aims to deepen the connection between technology, athletics, and creative production. Exploring new applications of hybrid motion capture for both digital entertainment and real-world performance analysis.
“We’ve only started to explore what hybrid capture makes possible when you treat motion as both a creative language and a source of measurable insight,” says an NYU project lead, Todd Bryant. “The next phase is about scaling that thinking across sport, games, and performance science.”
By uniting innovation, education, and athletic insight, the university is nurturing a new generation of storytellers, technologists, and athletes ready to push the limits of human movement and digital expression.
Discover how Xsens technology is transforming motion capture education and empowering creators of tomorrow.