Title: NTT Global Develops Digital Twin for Tour de France, Transforming the World’s Most Prestigious Cycling Tournament
On the hottest days in France, over 190 professional cyclists gear up with safety equipment and embark on a grueling journey that pushes the boundaries of human physical capacity. What initially began as a marketing initiative for L’Auto, a renowned French newspaper, has evolved into the most highly anticipated and esteemed sporting event globally since its inception in 1903—welcome to the Tour de France.
Traditionally, the Tour de France has relied primarily on the athletes’ somatic experience, leaving little room for technological advancements. However, this is about to change. NTT Global, a tech and IT service giant, has taken on the responsibility of developing a revolutionary technology called Digital Twin for the Tour de France, along with its female counterpart, Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. With this innovative approach, NTT aims to create the world’s largest connected stadium.
The concept of a connected stadium involves creating a digital replica of the race that utilizes real-time data to digitally reproduce every aspect, transforming the Tour de France into a fully digitized event. This breakthrough will greatly enhance organizational and management decision-making during the race.
Implementing the Digital Twin technology requires a complex system of gadgets and software. To collect the necessary data, geolocation and tiny sensors will be mounted underneath each bike’s saddle. These sensors need to be lightweight so as not to significantly affect the bikes, considering that the average weight of a Tour de France bike is just 8 kilograms.
The sensors will provide a continuous stream of real-time data encompassing latitude, longitude, speed, and more, which will be transmitted via radio networks. Subsequently, a microwave signal will transmit all this vital information to an edge-computing device located at the race’s endpoint. This device will run a containerized version of a real-time analytics platform, as detailed in NTT’s press release.
Shahid Ahmed, Group EVP, New Ventures and Innovation at NTT Ltd., emphasized the significance of combining IoT and edge computing, stating, Capturing, processing, and analyzing data alongside the unity of these technologies is essential for making every bike a ‘digital twin’ which is the ultimate demonstration of edge computing in action.
In addition to the groundbreaking Digital Twin technology, this year’s race will feature the integration of ChatGPT in NTT’s AI-driven Digital Human solution. By blending machine learning, speech recognition, natural language processing, and conversational AI, this digital human platform has been specifically trained on relevant race information to further enhance the fan experience.
NTT and Tour de France have been working hand-in-hand for the past nine years, continuously refining and polishing their offerings.
Julien Goupil, Head of Partnerships & Media at A.S.O., shared his thoughts on the longstanding collaboration: Having worked with NTT for the past nine years, we’ve seen data become an increasing asset to better explain the race to a mass audience, strongly engage our fans, improve their fan experience, and support our race organization’s challenges.
Reflecting on the tournament’s history, one cannot forget the unfair practices that marred its early years, such as participants taking trains to reach the destination more quickly. Imagine if they had access to the Digital Twin technology back then!
Thanks to NTT Global’s remarkable innovation, the Tour de France is set to enter a new era of connectivity and technological advancements, without compromising the authenticity and grit that make it the world’s most prestigious cycling event. As the race unfolds, spectators and participants alike will witness firsthand the transformative power of digitization in the sporting world.
Images:
[Image description – cyclists in action]
[Image description – NTT Global’s Digital Twin technology]
[Image description – AI-driven Digital Human interacting with users]
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Title Tag: NTT Global Develops Digital Twin for Tour de France, Revolutionizing the Cycling Tournament
Meta Description: NTT Global introduces Digital Twin technology to the iconic Tour de France, creating a fully connected and digitized event. Discover how this groundbreaking innovation enhances the fan experience and improves organizational decision-making.
