The Paris Olympics is in full swing, and China's self-developed AI technology has also ushered in its "highlight moment", A large number of AI technologies are being applied in areas such as match commentary, referee scoring, 360-degree live broadcast, technical and tactical analysis, and visual search.
Among them, the InnoMotion sports event AI product, which was jointly developed by Shanghai Media Tech(SMT) under SMG and SenseTime Technology Co., Ltd., was successfully used for the first time in the international public feed broadcasting of table tennis and archery events.
Through table tennis and archery AI data collection and virtual presentation, this product can track and analyze key parameters such as the trajectory, landing point, speed, rotation speed, turning, etc. of the table tennis ball in real time, and present it using 3D and MR technology.
More than just enjoying the excitement
Table tennis competitions are played in a compact and tense manner. Traditional match broadcasts mainly show the athletes' movements such as hitting the ball and scoring through ultra-high definition, multiple cameras, and slow motion, but rarely show the key elements of table tennis techniques and tactics such as "arc, rotation, and landing point". Therefore, it is difficult for ordinary viewers to see the tricks.
To address this issue, during the live broadcast of the Paris Olympic Games, InnoMotion sports event AI product acted as the "second commentator" for the game broadcast - whether it was the landing point of the table tennis ball, the speed and direction, or the flight trajectory of the arrow, it was all presented to the audience in front of the screen through AR.
Sports fans can not only enjoy the exciting scenes of live games, but also see the key data replays of sports scenes. They can not only watch the excitement, but also understand the tricks. More than just enjoying the excitement
Regarding the innovative attributes and key parameters of this product, the on-site commentator explained: "The acquisition part uses 4 high-speed cameras arranged in the venue to collect the flying posture of the table tennis ball from different angles, and uses AI algorithms to obtain the 3D coordinates of the table tennis ball in real time. The data processing part converts the collected raw data into available data such as the landing point and trajectory required for the game, and uses the backtracking tool to achieve accurate positioning and query of the data. The visualization part visualizes the effective data on the broadcast end through 3D animation, MR and other technologies."
With the help of InnoMotion sports event AI products, the SMT technical team can track small high-speed targets of the event, including trajectory, landing point, speed, rotation speed, turning, etc., and visualize them through graphical processing to provide the audience with professional AI technical and tactical analysis.
Self-developed Algorithms Inject "New Impetus into AI"
In a table tennis match, the ball speed can easily exceed 100 km/h and the rotation speed can reach thousands of revolutions per minute. How to accurately track a 4 cm diameter table tennis ball from a rapidly changing court, and effectively identify the direction of rotation and calculate the rotation speed?
The biggest innovation of this technology is that it can accurately capture and analyze small high-speed targets such as table tennis and arrows in real time for large and complex sports events, and visualize them through graphical processing. It not only greatly enriches the display methods and visual effects of table tennis and archery event broadcasts, allowing viewers to understand the games more intuitively, but also provides more materials for event commentary.
It not only solves the needs of the audience, but also makes it possible to collect rich sports data from events, thus laying the foundation for the extension of diversified data-based applications. The product has therefore been recognized and has been previously used in the WTT World Table Tennis Professional League and the Archery World Cup, creating a vertical benchmark in table tennis trajectory tracking and rotation speed collection.
As a new type of media productivity, InnoMotion sports event AI products have enhanced the viewing experience of Olympic spectators, enriched the means of producing international public feeds, and provided more materials for event commentary. The application of innovative technologies allows viewers to see more clearly and more interestingly, and also makes the audience more interested in sports events. It can also assist sports training, thereby, promoting the development of the overall industry ecosystem.
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SMT Mixed Reality Studio
Main business: virtual scene design, production services, XR virtual studio technology services, MR+ data visualization technology services, intelligent sports customized services, virtual sports customized services, sports events multi-version production and distribution solutions.
Gu Lihua
Director of SMT Mixed Reality Studio
Mobile: 13918144170
Email: glh@smg.cn