- Title: 3D holograms to bring 2020 Olympics closer to TV viewer
- Date: 22nd February 2018
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) SENIOR RESEARCH ENGINEER, NTT SERVICE EVOLUTION LABORATORIES, KOTA HIDAKA, SAYING: "From all four directions, you can see players projected in the field moving in 3D. You can see that in the demos we've unveiled this week, for example the judo, karate or figure skating demo." PINS WITH LOGO OF TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) SENIOR RESEARCH ENGINEER, NTT SERVICE EVOLUTION LABORATORIES, KOTA HIDAKA, SAYING: "This works foremost by obtaining real-time information from actual locations with our sensoring system, which then gathers and transfer that information through advanced MMT technology. It is then reconstructed into what can be seen in the Kirari! Arena, where people can gather and watch." SIGN READING (English): KIRARI! VENUE OF KIRARI! (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) WORKER 38-YEAR-OLD, WATARU HAMAMOTO SAYING: "It was weird how I could see hologram images as if they were just floating there. The sound is also unique and it was hard to figure out where it originated from."
- Embargoed: 8th March 2018 13:39
- Keywords: 2020 Olympics NTTDocomo hologram Kirrari! 3D hologram Olympics
- Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
- City: TOKYO, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Science,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00283MSZEN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Japanese telecommunications company NTT is hoping to bring an added dimension to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by projecting live sporting events with its 3D hologram technology.
NTT has been working on a new system it calls "Kirari! For Arena", which, unlike its current technology, does not require sensors to be attached to an athlete's body.
The company is aiming to have the system ready by the time Tokyo hosts the next Summer Games.
"From all four directions, you can see players projected in the field moving in 3D," Kota Hidaka, senior research engineer at NTT Service Evolution Laboratories, said at a demonstration on Thursday.
"Kirari! For Arena" uses multiple cameras to track the movements of the player. Images are then transported to devices which show 3D hologram figures in near real-time in a different location.
So, for example, fans unable to watch a karate match in an arena could watch 3D holograms of the fighters battling it out live.
"We are hoping to establish the system and deliver the service in which people can enjoy watching games by gathering around the 3D hologram," Hidaka said.
NTT is an official sponsor of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Many of the visitors to the exhibition were impressed, though some though they needed work on reconstructing the backgrounds and environments of the games.
NTT Service Evolution Laboratories is also working on real time holographic-like projections on a larger scale that can be blended into artistic performances. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None