TOKYO—Intel hopes to offer fans a gold medal viewing experience for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with its technological offerings, building off what it provided on-site and to fans around the world at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
One of the new technologies that Intel will deploy during the games is 3D Athlete Tracking, a computer vision system that uses artificial intelligence to provide viewers real-time insight and overlay visualizations during events. 3DAT, in partnership with Olympic Broadcast Services, uses four pan-tilt mounted cameras to capture the form and motion of athletes, then apply pose estimation algorithms to analyze the biomechanics of athletes’ movements. The data will then be transformed into broadcast overlay visualizations available during replays. Intel and the OBS plan to use this technology during the 100M and other sprinting events.
Virtual reality will also continue to be a part of Intel’s Olympics plan following its debut at the 2018 PyeongChang games. Intel’s True VR technology will be used to create immersive experiences for a number of sports and venues during the games, including the opening and closing ceremonies, track & field, gymnastics, boxing and beach volleyball. The content will be distributed by rights-holding broadcasters.
In addition, the Intel World Open esports tournament will be hosted and powered by Intel prior to the games in Tokyo. Intel will provide live coverage of the tournament, which will be powered by Intel Core i7 gaming processors.
Intel’s technology plan expands beyond providing the above experiences for fans, but to also help with training and other services needed during the games. This will include VR training for the organizing committee to practice situations at competition venues; NeoFace facial recognition technology powered by Intel to help with security; and assisting Cisco with providing network technology to connect competition venues, the athlete’s village, broadcasting setups and more.
“We’re excited to be partnering with Intel to make Tokyo 2020 the most innovative Olympics in history,” said Masaaki Komiya, vice director general of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. “Working together with Olympic partners like Intel will be how the Olympic Games is ushered into the new age of technology and innovation.”
