Technology has always been closely linked to the development of the Olympic Games. Each new edition have shown of the latest technological advances. Sport is a field in which research is continuous and is always linked to improved technology: The celebration of this sporting event, is a worldwide showcase and an ideal place to show off all the “heavy artillery” in innovation. Some of these important technological milestones were, for example:
– Electronic timers in 1912
– The first live radio broadcast in 1924
– The first televised broadcast in 1936. An exciting historical achievement that enabled us to turn on the TV at home and enjoy any of the competitions
– The first official website of the Olympic Games that was created in 1996 and attracted nearly 200 millions visits (incredible for that time)
– Video replay which greatly helped the judges in making decisions in 2002
– The total global interconnectivity in 2012, which, through servers, computers, tablets, smartphones… everybody could be connected and comment on the Olympic Games in real time
Rio 2016 Olympic Games have kept pace in terms of innovation and are giving ample evidence of this fact . As far as lighting is concerned, they have largely opted for LEDs in offices spaces. They have used some 200.000 lights distributed between the Olympic and Paralympic Village, the Carloca Arenas facilities, Maracaná Stadium, the Brazilian Paralympic Center and Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. In all, more than 40 locations covering more than 4 million square meters will beefficiently and intelligently illuminated (equivalent to 1.068 football fields). This will mean energy savings of 50% (the largest so far known in the Olympics) and greater control of light through smart city systems that allow remote scheduling, regulation of the power and intensity, etc.
LED technology provides a great visual comfort, not only to more than 10.000 athletes that are competing, but also for workers, passersby, drivers, etc. without neglecting the importance it also has for good lighting quality in high-resolution and 4k retransmissions. And, the best of all of these changes is, that after the games have finished, the locals will continue to enjoy the benefits of efficient and comfortable lighting.