There is no doubt that the Olympics are a worldwide phenomenon that captivates audiences every two years. Recently, London hosted the 2012 Summer Games and Sochi is set to host the 2014 Winter games. The following articles outline a few interesting points about how technology was a major part of the Olympics in London. What are some other aspects of the games that technology effected? Was it a positive or negative effect? If you could stir a technology revolution at the Olympics, what would be your targeted area?
http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240161354/The-Olympics-in-technology-stats
http://www.itproportal.com/2012/07/24/the-tech-behind-the-2012-olympic-games/
http://news.yahoo.com/how-new-technology-has-transformed-the-olympics.html
I believe that the most remembered part that technology affected in the last games was when Michael Phelps won by like .01 of a second and they wouldn't of been able to determine that unless they had the touch pads and the instant replay. If I were to try and create a technologic revolution to the Olympics I would try and go for an electronic judging system. Therefore there would be no question if one country was favoring another and not as much criticism from the fans of the Olympics that complain about poor judging in whatever sport that requires it. That being said, I can't wait to see the upcoming Olympics!
ReplyDeleteI do believe that a non-regional-biased system could eliminate any feelings that one country or another may have judges voting in their favor; but the programming involved could stir more controversy. For example, if the U.S. were to code a machine that were to judge based on a list of factors for various events, another country may be skeptical to adopt the machine, being that the computer could appear to be completely non-biased and is not as easily read as a human, who could be more predictable.
DeleteTechnology has affected nearly all aspects of the Olympics. The use of the "Mondotrack" in the 2012 summer Olympics is a great example of this. The track utilized new technology for the runners to perform better. With the progression of technology we will continue to see advancements in record times. Athletes will run faster because of advancements in drag resistant suits, new shoes, and modified tracks. In my opinion the affects of technology are neither positive or negative, just inevitable.
ReplyDeleteFor more information on the "mondotrack" : http://www.mondoworldwide.com/prodotto_anteprima.cfm?uid_contenuto=E8402DB6-5056-8F31-553B2BBB7FC08B20&id_sub_root=419&id_applicazione=9
If I were to start a technological revolution my target area would be the media. Now days people want to live there lives vicariously. To experience the Olympics through the eyes of the athletes. Allowing people to "follow" there favorite athlete via a live feed from a new type of contact lens.
For more information on the future of contact lenses:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57616459-76/augmented-reality-contact-lenses-to-be-human-ready-at-ces/
The scoreboards in one way are a huge advancement in technology that helps. The old judging scales use to be when the judges at a gymnastic event would hold up score cards. Now, the score is shown up on a electronic board. This has the positive effects of it being easier seen, but it is not always accurate. The board could have the wrong numbers by one simple error being typed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with although the technology in the score boards is a great advancement, errors can be easily made and that could be huge considering it's the Olympics.
DeleteIn today's Olympic Games, technology plays a very big role. There is so much that goes into each event, whether its a slow motion instant replay system, a touch pad the get a more accurate time, or even the type of clothing the athletes wear. All of this new technology is incredible. One of the articles above mentioned that Nike developed a new sprinter short that shaved as much as .23 of a second of the sprinter's times. that can make the difference between a great time and an Olympic record!
ReplyDeleteIf I could stir a revolution at the Olympics I would most likely target the judging system. The reason I would like to target this is because there are often cases where a judge is pulling for certain athletes and they are going to give them higher scores. I am not sure how they would be able to develope something like that, but in today's world anything is possible, I would not be surprised if they came up with that kind of technology.
How they keep time on almost every sport in the Olympics is one of the most advancements in technology of the Olympics. The fact that the smallest amount of time can affect the difference between a gold medal and a silver is a very important to almost everyone around the world. This has the positive effect that no one can ever feel like they were cheated with how advanced timers are. If I could start a technological revolution my target area would be judging and how much a personal opinion can effect the result of a sport.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has transformed nearly every part of the Olympics. Every year there is new technology and the Olympians, judges, and the media are utilizing it to the fullest. Being able to stream the Olympics from any location on a mobile device is a big deal! It opens up a whole new way of watching the games. The high quality video being recorded could be used to properly judge a tight competition. A great way to revolutionize the technology used in the Olympics would be to tape the games in 3D IMAX so people could watch them at the movie theater.
ReplyDeleteI agree being able to stream the Olympics from any location is great. Technology does improve tight competitions and close calls whereas just by plain eyes there would be so much disagreement in what happened.
DeleteTechnology is taking over the world, including the Olympics. Olympic games are stepping up their technological game for viewers as well as the athletes. The Olympic games are viewable from smartphones and tablets thanks to NBC, even though there were still some glitches last games with many complaints. Twitter users are able to tweet live and use the hashtag to reach out to other viewers, sharing their opinions.
ReplyDeleteOmega has been made the timekeeper for 25 of the last 80 games, and they continue to expand and improve their technology to make it better and more appealing to viewers, ensuring they stay in the minds of Olympic viewers and hosts. For the last Olympic games in London, Omega had starting block accessories to better track false starts. Another item was the Quantum Timer which allowed extreme accuracy while timing up to 16 athletes simultaneously. If I could evolve the Olympic games technology I would chose to make it more easily accessible to watch all events that are going on without having to wait for advertisements and a slow buffer.
Athletes competing in the Olympics have been given much improved equipment. Archery has transformed their bow to a recurve bow to store more energy. In badminton, the head of the racquets have been modified to increase the hitting space. The air pistol events are now using lasers instead of pellets because they are safer and more cost effective. These are all positive, yet controversial technological changes made to the Olympics. Though some may say they give the athletes an advantage, most of them are safer, cost effective, or simpler than the previous equipment gear.
ReplyDeleteIn the Olympics the most important thing is time. One big thing that the Olympics have done over the past few years has been improving the technology on time keeping. The first example of this advancement has been placing gauges on the foot blocks to measure the force of the foot. The second advancement is the placement of touch pads in the pools to determine first, second and third place. Another big improvement has been the suits worn by the athletes on the track events. Nike has been able to design a suit that will shave 0.23 seconds off a time. I believe that really the last big impact technology has giving the Olympics is the advancement in prosthetics. Through this advancement, it has given people like Oscar Pistorius to compete at the highest level possible.
ReplyDeleteI believe that technology has affected the Olympics in a very positive way. It has giving the world the chance to see the Olympics and all its aspects in the best possible way. It has giving all the athletes the newest gear, and also advancements in the medical area to give every athlete the highest chance to perform at the highest level. If I were to start a technological revolution my target area would be the athletes. I believe that there is always a way to improve new gear, training, and communication with all the athletes in the Olympics.
The Olympics are being taken over by technology which in my opinion is not a bad thing. Athletes are becoming to fast and quick for the naked eye to distinguish between first and second place. An example of this would be when michael phelps placed .01 before his competitor to win gold, now if that was a human judge without the sensor pad in the pool, would he have gotten that correct? this implication of technology has been astronomical towards the games.
ReplyDeleteIf i were to able to change the games with a technological advancement it would be able to follow a specific sport or country through one app. That would be very cool to be able to watch your athelte behind the scenes and get twitter updatesor little news articles they posted.
I think the biggest impact technology has had on the Olympic Games is in the equipment category. The equipment the Olympians use today are extremely advanced compared to what they used in the early years of the Olympics. These advances have improved the Olympics in my mind, making for better scoring accuracy, easier tracking of athletes, and also improved performance of the athletes. One thing I believed that should be improved on in the Olympics would be a social media feed of all the athletes updates on Twitter or Facbeook.
ReplyDeleteIn track and field game, high-speed cameras are being used in photo-finish images to determine finishes and times. Those cameras take 2,000 - 3,000 images per second and it help determine the obscured body positions of two players who got to the finish line at the same time. And it's a positive effect.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to stir a technological revolution at the Olympics, my targeted area would be sealing and healing injuries. I would create a portable laser pen that could seal open wounds. Imagine playing basketball and you bust your lip, eye, or nose, you can seal your wound back up Wolverine style with the portable laser pen.
That is an awesome idea to use a laser pen for wounds! I think that would be a huge lifesaver at sports events!
DeleteTechnology is evolving many things in the Olympics and every day life. You take out human mistakes and assure people with computer and technological results. Even the gear and their training involves technology. what they use to monitor their health and heart rate.
ReplyDeletemy innovation would be actually seeing the judges notes and their thoughts and what they use to rate the scores. I know maybe it isn't the greatest idea but it will influence an Olympians result knowing what the judge didn't approve of.
Technology is huge in every aspect of the world, so its going to be even bigger at such a large world wide event such as the Olympics. I think the technology advancement have both ups and downs, as all the cameras and video scoring is great as it eliminates bad calls, but I feel advancement in clothing to give the team(s) an extra edge on their opponents is kind of lame - I think it should all be a standard where everyone is equally equipped so we truly find out who is meant to have the gold medal. Another positive technology advancement from the 2008Olympics that I thought was cool was the weather modification system used that could cause storms to rain before they hit the Olympics.
ReplyDeleteMy targeted area would be to advance the coverage of the games even further then it is now. Its great how we can so openly view the Olympics so even more advancement in viewing would be great.
I believe that one of the most important things that people focus on is time. Time is the main factor that decide which medal the racer receives. The Omegah official time keeper is a big step up in technology. Another thing i think has had a big effect on technology is the way that photographers are capturing some of there photos. They have created helicam robots to fly over the tops of the races to capture every aspect of the race or game. I believe that technology has had a positive effect when it comes to the Olympic Games. In other ways not so much. The Olympic Games is something that needs technology to function. If I could start up a technology revolution, my target area would be either advancements with the judging or the athletes. When it comes to judging, that is where most of the controversy comes from. With the athletes, there can always be new advancements with the gear that they wear. Some clothing can even cut off time just like the suits in the last Olympics cut of 0.23 seconds from a runners time.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea for better technology for the athletes. I can only imagine the way things will change with better technology. Things have already drastically changed.
DeleteProsthetics is a huge aspect effected by technology. 2012 was the first Olympics in which there was a double amputee sprinter. Oscar Pistorius wore his Prosthetics called iconic carbon blades. I think this is very positive because it gives every athlete the chance to do what they love. The International Association of Athletics Federations was quick to say that he would be ineligible to run which made huge controversy and the Court of Arbitration for Sport overruled them and said that he was eligible. I think that if they could make judging more accurate.
ReplyDeleteThere are many aspects of the games that technology has effected. According to the article The Olympics in Technology stats, London2012.com became the most popular sports website in the world. It had 38.3 billion page views, peaking at 96,871 page views per second. Some1.2 PetaBytes of data were transferred over the website, with a peak of rate of 22.8 Gbits/s. On the busiest day there were 13.1million unique visitors. I think technology is very positive for sports because we can have a better perspective of the game. My technology revolution would be on extreme sports.
ReplyDeleteTechnology plays a big role in our daily lives and consequently is a big part of the Olympic Games. From the advanced technology in the gear that improves performance to the way that technology has changed the way viewers can follow the athletes, technology is an integral part of the event.
ReplyDeleteTechnologically improved gear has drastically changed the Olympic games. an example of this in the London Games was the suits that were designed for athletes which were individually created for each athlete from a full-body scan to create the suit that would give that athlete the most aerodynamic shape.
If I could change something about the Olympics I would have more apps that would be unique to each event, for instance a figure skating app, a bobsled event app, etc. So that viewers could enjoy follow only the events that they wanted to follow.
Technology has effected many different aspects of the Olympics such as archery, pistol shooting, badminton, final judging research, and mobile device issues. Most of these have all been positive changes to each aspect. In the archery, pistol, and badminton categories they have greatly improved upon the equipment used to do these events. Archery has gained, something that I find personally interesting, the recurve bow which has allowed greater accuracy. I would recommend allowing a first person view of the events at times. I believe this would make it more understandable for viewers.
ReplyDeleteI agree, a first person camera feed could really change the feel and tone of the sports, giving a much more personal feel to the sport and connecting viewers to the competitors even more. I would have to criticize that without proper camera equipment, such as gyro-mounted cameras, the footage could also possibly make many viewers ill, especially with the shakier camera footage of a runner.
DeleteTechnology helped make up for human error in the Olympics. Knowing that a time of less than a second can win you the gold is incredible. And the extent of broadcasting the games to the public is amazing. The work gone into improving such a historical event is breath taking. I feel that, for those of us who can't readily participate in the events, a way to relay to the viewers of what the athletes are feeling would add to the experience. A way to show their feelings be them excitement or anxiety. So that the view would understand better how their favorite athlete is feeling during that moment of fame.
ReplyDeleteI believe technology has transformed the Olympics from the perspective of the consumer. If television and live streaming were not possible the fan-base of the Olympics would be unable to enjoy or view them. Even now with advancements in quality of both picture and in video the way we view or remember the sports throughout history are vastly affected by the modern imagery technology our world is currently in use of. This improvement has advanced the sport and positively increased the viewing of the Olympics. If I were to start a technological revolution, I believe live updates through social media could closer connect those who could not sit down and watch the events live, but wish to know how the competitors are doing.
ReplyDeletetechnology really changed the Olympics in a big way because before the people watching had no way in seeing all the camera angles now you can watch everything in every angle with is exiting to the viewers and just by getting more cameras they raise the amount of people watching the Olympics also the timing that they have now is much more better then it use to be with makes the viewing much better all in all the technology has really changed everywhere and especially at the Olympics im existed for the future and to see how its going to progress and change.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has effected many aspects of the Olympic games but the one I believe has had the biggest effect would be the timing system. It is so accurate that there is no possible way to be wrong. The cameras help too with all the instant replays.
ReplyDeleteI believe this was a positive effect. There is nothing negative about it in my opinion.
If I could stir a technology revolution at the Olympics my targeted area would be security. There is such a need for security technology now more than ever. This year with all of the threats there has been, it has really opened my eyes to the issues that can arise. I think if there were robot security and more in depth screening, like at airports for example, and undercover security there would be a lot less chance of a problem.
I totally agree with improving the security with all the technology we have now days nothing should ever get passed security
DeleteThe technology plays a big part in the Olympic games because they are more upgraded. You can see things from almost every type of angle you will not miss anything. The technology and big screens make it exciting and you can see things up front.
ReplyDeleteThe Technology now days play a big role in the Olympic games by technology been so advance it help capture every moment of the games while there going on. It help people watching the olympic games on TV see it from every angle and you wont miss anything, by technology already been so advance i cant imagine what the future hold for technology. I say it has a positive effect on it, nobody can give me one reason why it has a negative effect on Olympic games. If I could stir technology im really not sure what my target would really be because me personally this just my opinion I feel nothing really need to improve actually everything is so advance.
ReplyDeleteI think that technology has affected the Olympics in a positive way. It's great that the judges have use to technology to keep score. The amount of WiFi used at the Olympics was very surprising. Just like anything else, there may be some downsides to the constant use of technology. I seems as though technology has affected the contestants and how they perform, which isn't terrible it just seems like, for example, the swimsuits the swimmers wore that had cameras attached, or the swimsuits that made them perform at faster speeds could be distracting or unfair.
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