Houston Astros Expand AI-Powered Screening Partnership With Evolv
Renewed deal upgrades venue-wide Evolv Express systems to Gen2 hardware and adds AI-powered eXpedite bag screening at Daikin Park.
The Houston Astros have renewed and expanded their partnership with Evolv Technology, with the new agreement centered on upgraded AI-based screening systems at Daikin Park. Evolv said the deal moves the Astros’ existing fleet of Evolv Express units to its latest Gen2 hardware and also adds Evolv eXpedite bag screening systems, making the Astros the first professional baseball team to deploy that product.
The AI angle is central to both pieces of the rollout. Evolv said Express uses advanced sensor technology and AI to detect concealed threats, identify the person and location of a potential threat, and support response while allowing people to move through checkpoints at their natural walking pace. The company said those systems are deployed venue-wide at the Astros’ 41,000-seat ballpark and are used for both guest and staff entry screening.
The expansion adds a second AI layer through Evolv eXpedite, which the company describes as an AI-powered weapons detection solution for bags. Evolv said the system is designed to complement Express in situations where entrants are carrying multiple items. At Daikin Park, the eXpedite units will be used primarily for venue staff, whose bags often contain higher levels of clutter.
The release also points to how AI screening is being framed less as a standalone security product and more as part of venue operations and ingress management. Evolv said its systems are designed not only to identify threats, but also to help minimize congestion and reduce disruptions to traffic flow at entry points.
For venue operators, the Astros renewal is another example of AI showing up in the physical infrastructure of live events, in this case through detection, flow management, and staff screening workflows rather than a fan-facing activation. Evolv said it now serves 12 professional baseball customers and about 100 sports and entertainment organizations worldwide.
Ethan Landon
