Tech at forefront of China's golden Olympic results

Technology is at the forefront of China's strong presence at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as artificial intelligence and other advanced technology have played a great role in helping Chinese athletes in training and improving performance.

Pongbot, an AI-enabled table tennis robot, has become a popular "coach" at the national training base for table tennis players. It can strike high-quality balls at its fingertips, whether for a backspin or a forehand chop, and it never gets tired.

The robot can also adjust the speed and spin of the ball according to a player's level. Through big data, it is able to gather and analyze the trajectory and movement of different athletes, and furthermore simulate competitors' movements to help training.

"The AI robot no doubt replaces some of the work for coaches, especially when we have to take care of several tables during training," said Chen Bin, deputy dean of the China Table Tennis College and the coach for table tennis world champion Ding Ning.

Co-developed by the China Table Tennis College and Siasun Robot & Automation Co, Pongbot is believed by many industry insiders to be the world's first AI ball pitching robot.

"More importantly, it can also imitate the style of different players, for instance that of Japanese table tennis player Ito Mima, which might be hard for human training partners to do. With this, we could offer more targeted training to our athletes," he said.

At the Tokyo Olympics, China ranked second in the medal count with 38 golds, 32 silvers and 18 bronze medals, just behind the United States. From volleyball, running, swimming, rowing to weight lifting, a large group of the country's sports teams have adopted high tech during the preparation this time.

The country's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) has highlighted the important role of technology in driving the digitalization of key areas including sports. A guideline on the high-quality development of sports released by the State Council also said that the nation will accelerate the application of smart manufacturing, big data and AI in the sports sector.

Quan Hongchan, the talented 14-year-old Chinese diver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said in her Weibo account that the gold medal reflected not only her own efforts. She also thanked the three-dimensional AI training system for the national diving team.

The advanced system, developed by internet company Baidu Inc, restructures the 3D body posture of divers while standing at the springboard, and sends the feedback to coaches in real time.

Fei Xiang, a senior engineer from Baidu, said that such high technology is important for sporting events that have high requirements for precision. "For example, in diving, some athletes cannot control the splash well due to insufficient height. Our system can tell us the reason for the shortness of height is the insufficient acceleration caused by a lack of power when taking off," he said.

"In other words, the system can help coaches to know that this diver should practice takeoff techniques rather than controlling the splash," he added.

The China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology, which is an important inertial technology base for China, also helped six world swimming champions to use precision measurements during preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

The waterproof measurement product only weighs 16 grams and is able to gather data on swimmers' posture, breathing and stroke frequency, as well as turning time and other technical parameters within a second.

Huang Haiyan, a professor of sporting events and industries at Shanghai University of Sport, said: "Technology will have a multiform and in-depth impact on the country's sports industry. Computer technology, virtual reality, somatosensory technologies, AI, and big data will see explosive applications in the sports sector in the coming years."

"The use of technology in the sports industry will help optimize the sector's supply and demand, extend the value chain, and enhance the overall competitiveness in sports for the country," he said.