Olympics 2022: New tech captures skiers’ in-air twists and turns

Behind the scenes, AI technology is a key component in bringing these historic performances to the living rooms of audiences worldwide

Liz Hughes, Editor, IoT World Today and AI Business

February 18, 2022

1 Min Read

From Eileen Gu making sports history in the women’s freestyle skiing big air event to Mikaela Shiffrin’s disappointing starts, Olympic skiing events have taken center stage throughout the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Behind the scenes, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is a key component in bringing these historic performances to the living rooms of audiences worldwide. 

Putting traditional video replays in the past, Baidu AI Cloud’s three-dimensional simulation technology (3D+AI) is changing up the games and is being used in television coverage of the Beijing Winter Olympics. 

By capturing and analyzing an athlete’s movement and creating a computer-simulated 3D model of skiers, the 3D+AI is revolutionizing what viewing audiences are watching. It’s also emerging as a training aid to help pinpoint areas impacting performance. 

Baidu AI Cloud created a 1:1 3D motel of the Shougang Ski Jumping Platform that allows it to break down an athlete’s movement. The technology can capture details of an athlete’s actions in all directions and then reproduce a set of time-series freeze motions it can then present in a simulated 3D space. 

The system can simulate everything from sliding speed to flying height, landing distance and rotation angles in one image, allowing athlete performances to be compared side by side and revealing technical nuances frame by frame. 

This article first appeared in AI Business's sister publication IoT World Today

About the Author

Liz Hughes

Editor, IoT World Today and AI Business

Liz Hughes is an award-winning digital media editor with more than three decades of experience in newspaper, magazine and online media industries. 

A proven digital media strategist and editor, Liz has produced content and offered editorial support and leadership for a variety of web publications, including Fast Company, NBC Boston, Street Fight, QuinStreet, WTWH Media, AOL/Patch Media and Design News.

A skilled social media strategist experienced in developing and maintaining an audience across multiple platforms and brands, Liz also enjoys sharing her knowledge and expertise to help businesses small and large.

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