3D Laser Sensor Provides Judging Support System In Artistic Gymnastics

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has partnered with Fujitsu to implement a system for judging artistic gymnastic competitions by 2020.

The partnership will see the two organizations work together to capture accurate, real-time judging data for such competitions. The technology  will support the judges in their scoring to come to a more accurate judgment by capturing the gymnasts’ movements with a 3D laser sensor and analyzing them as numerical data.

This agreement has already seen Fujitsu record data from the 47th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Montreal last month. It will also be tested at the 48th Championships next year in Doha. The new agreement builds upon an initial joint research on judging support technology for artistic gymnastics competitions between the FIG and Fujitsu that began in 2016.

“We must be ready for 2020,” FIG president Morinari Watanabe told The Guardian. “We have a responsibility to give the gymnasts the correct score, we cannot accept an incomplete score from a judge in this time. Once gymnasts see it they will like the technology and that is a great thing – to push the technology forward.”

Meanwhile, Steve Butcher, FIG Technical Coordinator, told the publication: “In judges, it’s proven there can sometimes be an inherent bias. A program like this can be helpful for settling issues or technical questions. This is not to replace judges – not any time soon. We’ll never say that one day we’ll only be using a computer. But who is to say in 20 years from now if things will be different.”