It is not difficult to see from history that the World Olympics is a common platform for countries to showcase revolutionary new technologies. In 2020, when Japan becomes the host of the Olympic Games again, this sports event will undoubtedly make people full of expectations.
The investigation team of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Reform Headquarters, which is responsible for inspecting the preparation system and expenses for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, stated on September 29 that the total cost of the conference may exceed 3 trillion yen (approximately RMB 198 billion). It is reported that the committee is studying plans to reduce the cost of Olympic preparations."
Originally, the design of the main venue was like this and full of "futuristic feeling"
But in order to reduce costs, it was changed to the following
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the picture are the main stadium of the Tokyo Olympics
The following is the text, talking about how Japanese technology companies are preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Olympic sponsor Panasonic’s Olympic business
Panasonic’s 2020 Tokyo Olympics business not only provides equipment but also network services, as well as video software and hardware for the opening and closing ceremonies. The equipment provided by Panasonic in the 2016 Brazil Olympics included 110 projectors used in the opening ceremony, four times the number at the London Olympics; 1,300 monitors provided to television broadcast units in various countries; there were also 72 large LED monitors in 35 competition venues, as well as video auxiliary equipment for competition trials under development, which were tested at this Olympics first to facilitate full adoption in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
It must be mentioned here that the 72 large-scale LED displays for the Rio Olympics are produced by Chinese screen manufacturers, and the lamp beads also come from Chinese manufacturers. Panasonic will still participate in the installation of large display screens at the Tokyo Olympics venues.
Panasonic AVC Networks is also full of expectations for information security-related businesses. "By the time of the Tokyo Olympics, many areas will adopt information security-related services and systems. In addition to surveillance cameras, we are also considering launching a venue access management system and a system that uses image recognition technology to detect suspicious persons."
In preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Panasonic has launched a series of high-tech products such as multi-lingual translation systems and train in-train monitoring systems. At the 2018 Olympics-related press conference, more exciting Olympic technology products were displayed.
Sharp expands LED display products
Sharp will expand its electronic display products to tap demand for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The products to be released take advantage of the advantages of LED displays. Compared with previous products using LCD displays, the brightness of the screen is increased to 7-10 times, and the text is not easy to disappear under sunlight. The dust-proof performance of the new product has also been improved, and it is expected to be used in retail stores and gas stations.
This LED display is not manufactured by Sharp, but purchased from a Chinese manufacturer and sold under the "Sharp" brand. Software and cables to transmit video or images to the display will be sold separately as needed.
8k ultra-high definition TV + 8k live broadcast
Japanese TV manufacturer Sony has cooperated with NHK TV station to develop TV products that can process 8K video signals. The resolution of this 8K signal is four times that of 4K and a full 16 times that of 1080P high definition.
Japan’s NHK TV station has begun trial broadcasting 4K and 8K programs on the BS satellite channel. The trial broadcast includes the opening and closing ceremonies of the Rio Olympics in Brazil, and will also broadcast swimming, track and field and other events. Moreover, this trial broadcast is the world's first, with such high definition that even hair can be seen clearly, and the sound effect experience is even more immersive.
In addition, Japan’s NHK TV station has also stated that it will officially start broadcasting 8k TV programs in 2018 and will be popularized by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Therefore, Sony's choice to launch 8K ultra-high-definition TV before 2020 is of course the best time.
Man-made meteor shower
Meteor Shower ALE (Artificial Meteor Light Shows), a newly established company in Japan, plans to have artificial meteors streak across the sky at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, making it expected to be the coolest opening ceremony in history. ALE was initiated by Lena Okajima, Ph.D. in astronomy. The company is working with Japanese universities to design and launch a cubic microsatellite. They are mini, just one inch in diameter, and are made of secret materials. They hope to simulate a meteor shower that is rarely seen in nature. The artificial meteors are "made up" to emit different colors, and the cost of this show is as high as $4 million.
Enable driverless cars
Self-driving autonomous taxi Japanese gaming giant DeNA has launched the "robot taxi plan". It’s amazing just to think about it. By 2020, driverless taxis will be running on the streets of Tokyo. Technology giants such as Google, Apple, and Uber, as well as car manufacturers such as BMW, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz, are all rushing to be the first to eat crabs, hoping to find a place in the history of fully automated cars. In August this year, Japan's DeNA Company and ZMP Company launched the first robot self-driving taxi, which is expected to provide services during the Olympic Games.
Unmanned convenience stores
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan recently held an expert meeting to study the introduction of "electronic tags" functions in convenience stores, and hopes to put them into use before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to realize the plan of electronic "unmanned convenience stores". The first company to adopt "electronic tags" will be Lawson, one of Japan's three largest convenience stores.
Robot Village
The "Robot Village" is located near Odaiba, Tokyo, and will also become the Olympic Village for athletes. Japan expects that during the Olympics, about 920,000 foreigners will flock to Tokyo every day. Robots can help them with language translation, navigation or hailing taxis. Of course, once self-driving cars appear, the transportation carrier itself may also be a robot.
The construction of maglev trains, the use of unmanned vehicles, the construction of unmanned convenience stores, the emergence of service robots, etc. The editor feels that Japan still needs to develop a lot of monitoring and command and control systems to provide services for these technological products.
It is not uncommon for the host country to launch world-changing technologies at the Olympic Games. With Tokyo's status as a global high-tech hub, we are ready to embrace the most advanced technologies.
ANNA