A Malaysian AI-powered instant review system (IRS), the world’s first for disputed badminton line calls, has moved from domestic tournaments to the international stage, making its debut at the Singapore International Challenge 2026.
Known as Reveal Lens, the BWF approved technology developed by Revealtek Sdn Bhd was used at the Aug 18 to 23 tournament to review contested line calls.
The Singapore outing puts the Malaysian developed system on an international platform as Revealtek looks to expand its use beyond the country, following deployments at several local tournaments.
Co-founder and chief executive officer Nizam Mohamed said the technology demonstrated how AI could be used to enhance badminton officiating and match reviews.
“It is more like the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) that is available in football and tennis.
“It is very similar to it, but it goes ahead and gives a decision based on some calculations as opposed to just showing a video replay,” he told Bernama on Friday.
He said Reveal Lens was designed with a wireless setup that can be installed within two hours, unlike more extensive systems that require substantial infrastructure and lengthy calibration.
The company is now looking at opportunities to bring the technology to other badminton markets, with organisers and associations in Vietnam and Indonesia having expressed interest following its local deployments.
Nizam said Revealtek was also in discussions with continental confederations, with the aim of having the technology endorsed as a standard for use by their member associations.
“We are also in discussions with the continental confederations. What we are trying to do is to make this a standard that they can endorse, so all member associations can use this technology as standard practice,” he said.
Apart from instant reviews, Revealtek is developing an analytics module and a fully functioning line calling system that could perform the essential work of line judges during matches.
“We are going to do the demo in an upcoming tournament in Australia in October,” he added.
Nizam said the company also planned to broaden the application of AI and other locally developed technologies across the sports industry, while contributing to the growth of Malaysia’s sports technology ecosystem.
““We want to provide accurate and reliable technology at a more accessible cost, while meeting the different requirements of tournaments at various levels,” he said.
The Singapore deployment also drew strong interest from regional badminton associations, with discussions on potential collaboration and wider adoption of Reveal Lens across tournaments and institutions.
One of the event highlights was a special exhibition doubles match featuring Singapore’s Minister for Law Edwin Tong and Indonesian badminton legend and former Olympic gold medallist Hendra Setiawan against PT Djarum COO Victor Hartono and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Terry Hee