Advances of the technology in the sport for deaf people.
In all sports arenas and competitions, many factors make the experience more interesting. One of these factors is sound. When this factor is absent due to disabilities among athletes or the crowd, some people try to help by using their intellect and technological devices to improve the experience when attending a competition.
One of the ideal scenarios for this kind of intervention is the Deaflympics in Tokyo. Tokyo is one of the most technological cities in the world, and this makes the engineers’ work easier due to the number of devices and resources that can be used to create solutions that improve the experience throughout the venue.
At the same time, many venues use screens that display animations with characters that visually represent what is happening at the moment, and use onomatopoeia, helping to give the crowd a clear understanding of the match. This method was used in a table tennis tournament with the objective of helping people interested in the sport understand what was happening in the match, and it also allowed deaf people to create a connection with the event.
In another case, engineers developed devices for a sumo competition that vibrate when a fighter makes a movement or attacks the opponent. These devices gave a new sensation to everyone present at the event and made it more engaging for every spectator.
Tokyo has an advantage, which is the fact that its population is surrounded by advanced technology. This makes it easier to conduct surveys and studies that require people to provide data for their development.
Technology advances rapidly, and this is beneficial for many areas. In this case, the benefits apply to sports, in an era when they are one of the most widely viewed forms of entertainment and inspire young people to achieve their dreams and develop discipline. Even if they have difficulties with any of their senses, barriers are just a concept. Nowadays, everyone can compete in any sport with confidence.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260216-how-the-sound-of-sport-is-being-reimagined-for-deaf-fans
Written by: Victor Manuel Rodriguez Diaz