While the U.S. may have its Super Bowl and its biggest showcases of innovation, the rest of the world will be displaying their latest digital innovations in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games that start today. From smart suits to drone security, the two-week event features a number of “firsts” and promising partnerships.
Intel, for starters, will treat Olympic Winter Games views a wide-scale virtual reality broadcast of 8 live events covered by almost two dozen 180-degree cameras and another 12 events covered by 360-degree cameras. It has also partnered with KT Corporation, a South Korean communications service provider, to develop the world’s largest 5G showcase at the 2018 Olympics Winter Games. Intel 5G technologies paired with KT’s broad-scale 5G network is speculated to deliver the gaming enthusiasts, “a series of immersive on-site 5G-powered experiences.”
Besides Intel and KT, Alibaba has also come into a partnership with The International Olympic Committee to become the official cloud services and e-commerce platform services provider for the Olympic Committee. It will be offering its digital capabilities including its cloud infrastructure to support the Olympic Committee’s big data analytics requirements.The partnership is speculated to offer the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, an estimated viewership of 700 million online viewers in China.
NBC which was the official broadcast partner for the 2018 Winter Olympics in the U.S., will be seen distributing 4K high-dynamic-range (4K HDR) coverage to broadcasting platforms such as Comcast, DISH, and DirecTV enabling. With the image quality being over 8 million pixels, viewers will enjoy 4K HDR streaming of the opening ceremony, figure skating, hockey, short track speed skating, ski jumping and snowboarding big air competitions. NBC, which is expected to offer 176 hours of total coverage will also broadcast the Winter Games over other channels, such as NBCSN, CNBC, and the USA.
Athletes too will get new technology-laden uniforms featuring a wearable heating component that’s designed to keep athletes warm in PyeongChang’s cold temperatures. Ralph Lauren and the United States Olympic Committee will debut these tech-savvy uniforms in prints of an American flag that will be dipped in carbon and silver ink. The ink that’s bonded to the interior of the jackets is water-repellent inks and connected to a battery pack with three settings that offer up to 11 hours of heating. Besides central heating, two Dutch short track speed-skaters will be seen wearing the Samsung SmartSuit during their competition. The suit integrates five sensors that can monitor body posture and calculate how far a skater’s hips are from the ice. The inferred data will data can be used by athletes to analyze their speed and how to increase it, even by just a fraction of a second. Athletes will also receive VISA’s payment-connected winter gloves and two other wearables that will facilitate cashless payments at the Games.
Finally, the event will be buzzing with robots undertaking various tasks including small chores like housekeeping and customer service with additional services like translation, or serving drinks. Besides robots, the event will also showcase robust .
