Of course it wouldn’t be the Tokyo Olympics if there weren’t different robots involved as the official helpers of the event.
Japan has proved time and again that technology can help make life easier for mankind and doesn’t have to be restricted to huge and complicated systems to do that. The Olympics are the perfect opportunity for Japan to showcase its robotic skills and for that, they have introduced a couple of robots that are helping the human organizers in various departments. “The Tokyo 2020 Games are a unique opportunity for us to display Japanese robot technology,” said Hirohisa Hirukawa, leader of the Tokyo 2020 Robot Project. Whether it’s on the field or guiding athletes towards their venue, the robots have got you covered!
When talking about these little helpers, the Field Support Robot is one of the most prominent robots that made its debut recently during the rugby matches. The robot is used to retrieve rugby balls and help during track and field events. The robot can design an optimal path to retrieve the objects on the field which not only saves time but also requires less human support during the ongoing pandemic. Sometimes it can also be seen taking a break from its duties and playing fetch! (After all, robots need some free time to recharge too)
When talking about the Olympics, you can’t forget the official mascots, Miraitowa and Someity who have also been turned into little cartoon-like robots for the event and serve as the “futuristic ambassadors” of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics events. While they were initially designed to welcome the audience and shake their hands, due to the no-spectator policy being followed now, they’re free from that duty but can still be seen around event areas, waving to the athletes instead!
There are also human and delivery support robots whose duty is to provide assistance to disabled people and guide them to their seats or bring different food items for them. They also help provide event information to the public and have been a great help for the organizers. Maybe in the future, we’d be seeing a full robot organizing team!
