By Dr Mohd Ifwat Mohd Ghazali & Dr Muhammad Mus’ab Anas Mohd Anas

The modern Olympic Games have become one of the most anticipated events in the world. Arguably, these games are the pinnacle in sports and it is the aspiration of all athletes to compete in them. The Tokyo Olympics are the most expensive Olympic Games to date, costing approximately US$20 billion and attracting millions of viewers (in the arena and at home).

The Olympics are beginning to integrate technology in their events with the introduction of Industry 4.0. Its plethora of technologies has been used by both the Olympics’ organisers as well as the athletes. Among the technologies used are the Internet of Things (IoT), additive manufacturing (3D printing), big data, robotics, cybersecurity, virtual reality and augmented reality (AR), and cloud computing.

The Internet of Things (IoT)

The integration of IoT technology and 5G network all around stadiums were the first developments made to ensure a seamless operational system for spectators and athletes. IoT devices were also used as maintenance devices, providing feedback from the system in the event of a malfunction and reducing downtime.

Some IoT devices feature embedded sensors, allowing for real-time monitoring of any situation. For example, transportation around the venue is embedded with sensors that will alert authorities of any anomalies in the system and allow them to take appropriate measures and rectify the situation.

Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing)

The main medal podium at the Tokyo Olympic Games used recyclable materials made from household polymers that set additive manufacturing (3D printing) in the limelight. Asao Tokolo, a well-known Japanese designer, created a unique design, which was one of the committee’s numerous measures to ensure the event’s long-term viability.

Aside from that, companies like Adidas and Anta employ 3D printing technology to improve their running shoes. The Great Britain cycling team is also leveraging 3D printing technology by creating the handlebar for quick prototyping of their bicycle to improve aerodynamics and comfortability. Markforged (a 3D printing startup) and Shimano (the renowned manufacturer of cycling components) collaborated on this project.

Big Data

Data seems to have become a commodity not only in the business world, but also in sports. With micrometres and milliseconds deciding an athlete's success toward a gold medal, every edge to determine the outcome is critical. Smart sensors or cameras are often used to collect data and then analyse using machine learning algorithms. Big data is crucial in establishing strategy, workout regimen, and improving an athlete's performance.

The Japanese Judo competitor, Naohisa Takato, who won gold in the men’s 60-kg Judo tournament, is an example of big data’s achievement. Data analysis is used by team coaches to forecast the opponent’s strategy as well as the referee’s inclination to award points for corner drops.

Robotics

Robots are not strange to Japanese society, so it was no surprise they were everywhere at the Tokyo Olympics. It was only natural that the Olympic mascot this year was the robot Miraitowa. These robots controlled the crowds at the Olympics, offering both spectators and viewers great hospitality and a sense of comfort.

In addition, autonomous robots were assisting organisers on the ground. The match ball robot in rugby was one example, along with robots used to recover javelins and shot puts launched by athletes.

Toyota developed the majority of these robots that allow the use of personal information and improves the pace of these events.

Cybersecurity

With such high-profile events, the Olympics are bound to attract irresponsible individuals or groups seeking publicity, who might issue cyber threats and sabotage these events.

The Tokyo Olympics organising committee, with the cooperation of the Japanese government, had adopted counter measures such as performing cyber security simulation to test the system and employing ethical hackers to enter the systems and identify any flaw. These simulations were developed to test the responsiveness and resilience of the systems surrounding the event.

Cloud computing

The utilisation of technology in the Olympics is critical. One of the technologies used is cloud computing. Alibaba, for example, utilises cloud computing to track athletes’ movements and exchange data amongst athletes with wearable gadgets.

Furthermore, Alibaba and Intel cooperated on the development of an AI-based 3D athlete monitoring system that analyses performance in terms of biomechanics and generates a 3D model of the athlete to aid and improve their training.

Compared to the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the use of cloud computing was able to lower its footprint by thirty cents.

Conclusion

The future of technology application is limitless. Industry 4.0 is the pioneer that will revolutionise the sports industry. Thus, it will not be a surprise if these technologies change the outlook of sports, especially in the Olympics.

-- BERNAMA

Dr Mohd Ifwat Mohd Ghazali is the Lead Researcher of SMART RG and a lecturer in Health Industrial Technology at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia.

Dr Muhammad Mus’ab Anas Mohd Anas is a lecturer in Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia.