New Athlete Tracking Technology to Impact How You Watch the Summer Olympics

By Elizabeth Jeneault for The J-Pop Exchange

You might have heard how various technology advancements will be a major focus of the Tokyo 2020 Games. It’s meant to also pay homage to the Tokyo 1964 Games, which were dubbed the “Technology Games” by organizers some fifty-five years ago. Those organizers made history by figuring out how to broadcast the Games simultaneously on more than one continent for the first time!

No doubt, the technology you’ll see at the Tokyo 2020 Games will be much more advanced than it was all those years ago. What’s specifically interesting about some of the new technology you’ll see at the 2020 Summer Olympics, though, is that it will be used to track athletes! Continue reading below for more on how this will impact your viewing experience!

Intel bringing its 3D athlete tracking to Tokyo 2020

Intel is bringing its impressive 3D athlete tracking (3DAT) to the 2020 Games. The technology employs four cameras to film athletes and uses an AI algorithm to filter data from those cameras in real time. The advanced technology will mostly be used for the 100M and other sprinting events.

Viewers should play close attention to those events if interested in the technology, as broadcasts will display insights pertaining to factors such as athlete speed, the biomechanics of athletes’ movements, and even projections in areas like leaping distance!

So, when and how will you see that cool information pop up on-screen? You’ll most likely see it during instant replays and as overlays to the broadcast.

While Intel already has its athlete tracking technology set for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, another company is looking to also have its technology be part of the fun.

Could an AI system be used to help judge gymnastics events at Tokyo 2020?

Through a collaboration with the International Gymnastics Federation, the Japanese technology group Fujitsu has developed an AI scoring system that could be used to help judge gymnastics events at the 2020 Games. It all depends on how well it works!

That system was recently put to the test for the first time in official capacity at the Artistic Gymnastic World Championships in Germany. It will continue to be tested to see if it has what it takes to be used at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

So, how does the system work? It utilizes sensors to track a gymnast’s movements and angle measurements. It also creates 3D renderings of the performance. The technology is then deployed in tandem with video replay, and is used when a review of the scoring is requested. It’s also expected to be used for injury risk assessment.

While there’s this new and innovative technology to get excited about, there’s also some other cool things happening with technology at the 2020 Games.

Other technology highlights of 2020 Games

Fans in Tokyo will have the chance to wear VR headsets to experience certain events in a more unique way. It’s supposed to offer a much more immersive experience than just watching the sporting events on TV.

There will also be facial recognition software used to help identify the more than 300,000 athletes, volunteers, media, and other staff who will be coming and going during Tokyo 2020. The software will be used at various entry points of venues and accommodations. The hope is that it helps prevent fraud and also reduces the time it takes for people to get through venue doors.

People will be closely watching the technology

Of course, people will be closely watching to see just how well all this technology works during the events. It could certainly inspire more advanced technology at future Games. Intel specifically has a lot riding on the Summer Olympics. If their 3D athlete tracking system does not perform as well as predicted during the events it’s used for and viewers see that, Intel risks losing trust and credibility. However, Intel has been testing the system for quite some time now and seems confident in its ability to deliver.

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