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4 Innovation Projects Innovation Initiatives

Utilization of Projection Mappingin the Tokyo 2020 GamesOOMARU Yoshihisa

MIZUSHIMA Tetsuro ICHIKAWA Masaki
MATSUKI Daizaburo SAKANISHI Yasuaki

The Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 utilized projection mapping to stage the opening and closing
ceremonies and competitions This article introduces the technology and efforts focused on Japan National Stadium where
the opening and closing ceremonies and athletic competitions were staged
Keywords：Projector Projection mapping Tokyo 2020

1．Introduction
Panasonic has supported the Olympic and Paralympic
Games for 30 years

which started by delivering

broadcasting equipment for the Barcelona 1992 Gamesusing the latest video and audio technologies Panasonicprovided projection mapping for the opening and closing
ceremonies starting with the London 2012 Games thenRio 2016 Games and Pyeongchang 2018 Games Taking
advantage of its high staging potential and the possibilityof direct visual effects on the competition field we have

Figure 1Projection Mapping at Japan National Stadiumprovided projection mapping for the opening and closing
ceremonies and the competition venues
In the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games

expanding the range of its use This article introduces(hereinafter referred to as “Tokyo 2020”) projection

the technology and efforts of the Tokyo 2020 Games

mapping was provided to multiple competition venues

focusing on the projection mapping at Japan National
Stadium (Olympic Stadium) where the opening andclosing ceremonies and athletic competitions wereOOMARU Yoshihisa
Media Entertainment Business Division Panasonic Connect Co
MIZUSHIMA TetsuroMedia Entertainment Business Division Panasonic Connect Co
E‑mail mizushima tetsuro@jp panasonic com
ICHIKAWA Masaki
Media Entertainment Business Division Panasonic Connect Co
MATSUKI DaizaburoMedia Entertainment Business Division Panasonic Connect Co
SAKANISHI Yasuaki
Media Entertainment Business Division Panasonic Connect CoLtdLtdNational Stadium

LtdLtd

2．Projection Mapping Technology and Efforts

LtdThe Journal of The Institute of Electronics Information and Communication Engineers Vol 105 No 8 Supplement pp 244‑248 August 2022
© 2022 The Institute of Electronics Information and Communication Engineers

244

staged Figure 1 shows the projection mapping of theopening ceremony of the Paralympic Games at JapanThe Tokyo 2020 Games aimed “the most innovative
Games in history bringing positive reform to the world”

THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERSas stated in the Games Vision Communication from0 8 m 2 equivalent to a conventional model with half theeitire Venuse at Opening and Closing Ceremonies andlight output thanks to a more efficient cooling mecha-Innovation for Athletics were requested Also it wasnism The use of this projector has realized a 1 7‑foldnecessary to reduce the total cost and respond to theincrease in image projection area and a 1 2‑fold increase

long period

in illumination intensity while reducing the number ofincluding rehearsals

and to deal with

Covid‑19 issues

projectors to approximately 60 nearly half the number

The following technologies and approaches wereapplied to meet these requirements

used at the Rio 2016 GamesThe projectors can express 4K resolution and a wide
color gamut by newly adopting red lasers which have

21

Development of an Ultra‑bright Projector

higher color purity than lamps and phosphors as theFor the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo

light source This projector enables realistic presenta-

2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games projection map-tion for 4K international broadcasting which has been

ping was required for an area of approximately

adopted from the Games of this year

10 000 m2

inside the competition track to enablecommunication and staging from the entire venue The

22

Overall System Designarea for projection mapping for the Tokyo 2020 GamesThe overall system design for the projection mapping

was approximately 1 7 times larger than the Rio 2016of the opening and closing ceremonies was based on theGames making it the largest‑scale projection mapping

following two points in addition to the projection area

compared to previous sporting eventsand support for international broadcasting

Large‑scale projection mapping requires high‑power
light and the use of multiple projectors In Rio 2016

①Reduction of shadows of casts and structures

Games approximately 110 projectors with a luminance②Redundancy of the system against the risk of lossof 20 000 lm were used However using a large numberof imagesof projectors requires man‑hours for installation andadjustment as well as space for installation To solve
this problem

Many casts and structures are used in the opening and

we developed the PT‑RQ50K ultra‑

closing ceremonies In normal projection mapping ofbrightness projector Figure 2 shows a photograph of thebuildings light is projected from one direction resulting

projector and its main specifications This projector has

in shadows on the opposite side To avoid this problem

a high luminance output of 50 000 lm and a compact

we adopted a design in which images are projected fromchassis with a footprint (width×depth) of less thanfour directions by installing four projection towers
Figure 3 shows the projection layout of the projectors
and Figure 4 shows a photograph of the projection

Figure 2

Projector RT‑RQ50K Used at Japan National Stadium

Figure 3

Special Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020

Layout of Projectors

245

Figure 4Projection Tower

Figure 5towers In addition to address the risk of loss of images

Athletics Projection Mapping

the same images were projected from four different
directions and stacked to ensure redundancy
The redundancy of the system design includes power
supply backup

a redundant control system

andredundant video signal lines in a ring configuration for

National Stadium more than six months before theGames and provided production support for content
preparationdifferent paths The projector also has a function that

The projectors used for the track and field events

switches to the backup input signal in 0 3 seconds when

were also used for the opening and closing ceremonies

the primary input signal is interrupted

The same projectors were used for the different areas ofenabling

seamless restoration of images

the opening and closing ceremonies and the track andThe total number of projection towers was reduced tofield eventsand the installation was designed toapproximately 60 units reducing installation space andminimize conversion adjustments This minimized costs

weight compared to past Games The reduction in theand ensured smooth transition and rehearsal between

number of projectors also made it possible to reduce thethe athletics staging and the closing ceremony

number of subsystems and cabling
The design and initiatives enabled capturing the video

23

Operational Support

presentation with sufficient brightness and color from

Our company provided total solutions for the video

any broadcasting camera and the presentation could be

and audio systems at the Tokyo 2020 Games including

enjoyed from any of the audience seats The total systemdesign consulting equipment procurement installation

cost was also reduced by reducing the number ofadjustment operation and maintenance
For Japan National Stadium in addition to projectors

projectors
As innovation in athletics at the Tokyo 2020 Games

we provided cameras for staging

video switchers

projection mapping was used to introduce the finalists ininternational broadcasting from video servers large

the opening performance of the menʼs and womenʼsvideo equipment within the stadium video distribution

100 m finals Figure 5 is an image of the introduction

to the production teams and a sound system These

Projection mapping can be used directly on thevideo and audio systems supported a total scenographycompetition field to expand the staging area in track andsolution for the opening and closing ceremonies not only

field events where competitions are held in successionby integrating the movement of the performers andFor performing a series of competitions and shows it isprojection mapping but also by linking the projectednecessary to adjust the lighting system to darken theimages and soundfield and light the field after the show LED lighting is

Figure 6 shows the main projection control room We

used at Japan National Stadium and an unprecedented

also constructed and operated the video and audio

staging could be realized by coordinating the immediate

control room system

Since

For the opening and closing ceremonies the installa-projection mapping on the reddish track surface wastion and operation of the projector and video distribution

requiredsystem began more than two months before the event todarkening and brightening of the stadium

246

we conducted a projection test at JapanTHE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERS

accommodate rehearsals Because the projectors werefrom working on large‑scale events

installed in a semi‑outdoor location it was necessary toworkflow that included personnel allocation and role

take measures against rain and wind caused by Tokyoʼsassignment

developing aand conducting simulations and otherunique weather conditions such as the rainy season
typhoons and sudden downpours A remote monitoring
system was utilized to carry out manpower‑saving
operations in the face of the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID‑19) A wide range of work was handled
including on‑site equipment maintenance

Figure 7

shows the implementation of on‑site repair and maintenance support
Heavy transport equipment such as cranes could not
be used to install the projector from the perspective ofprotecting the stadium facility

Howeverthe PT‑

RQ50Kʼs compact one‑piece body and handle made it
possible for the projector to be carried by a person
thereby reducing the work time
For video coordination and operations the experienced members of the operation team from Japan andFigure 7On‑site Maintenance of Projectors

overseas responded quickly and flexibly to the production teamʼs requests by utilizing the know‑how gained

Figure 6

View of the Projection Control RoomFigure 9Figure 8Projection Mapping Adjustment

Opening Ceremony of Tokyo 2020 Games

Special Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020247

preparations Figure 8 shows the adjustment of theprojection mapping The team also adjusted the imagesdifferently from the original plan by changing theunevenness of the stage and other forms and the setting
positions as needed
Although the projection mapping was operated on‑OOMARU Yoshihisa
He joined Panasonic Corporation in 2012
where he was in charge of subject matter andmarket development in the projector‑related
business division and management of project
managers for Expo 2015 Milano and 2017
Astana Rio 2016 Games Pyeongchang 2018
Games and Tokyo 2020 Games Opening andClosing Ceremonies

site over four months including rehearsals which wererequired to reduce the workforce due to the COVID‑19
we were able to complete the production of thecompetition through preliminary simulations workflow
improvements and our long experience in projection
mapping

3．Conclusion
This article describes the technologies and approaches
for using projection mapping in the Tokyo 2020 Gamesfocusing on the example of Japan National Stadium
Based on our know‑how

we developed projectors

suitable for large‑scale projection mapping and provided
total solutions

including projection layout

systemdesign installation and operation We were thereby
able to reduce the total cost and support manpower‑

MIZUSHIMA Tetsuro
He graduated from the University of Tokyoin 1997 with a bachelorʼs degree in materials
science and engineering He completed hismasterʼs degree in materials science andengineering from the same university in 1999
He joined TDK Corporation in 1997 andPanasonic Corporation in 2004 and was engaged
in developing laser projectors and other products He received the Optical Design Incentive
Award in 2008
ICHIKAWA Masaki
He graduated from Waseda University in1991 with a law degree He joined Matsushita
Electric Industrial Co Since then he has been
engaged in product planning and marketing ofprofessional audio equipment RAMSA After
working as a project manager for the Beijing
2008 Olympics he served as the project leader
for the Opening and Closing Ceremony Acoustics Project and as the project leader for
Panasonicʼs public relations project at theTokyo 2020 Gamessaving operations of the Games that were required dueto the COVID‑19
The opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020
Games were delivered to people worldwide as symbolic
scenes of the worldʼs largest sporting events We believethat using projection mapping to create a vividly colored
space contributed to this success We want to express
our sincere gratitude to those involved in the Tokyo 2020
Games and the production team for their cooperation

MATSUKI Daizaburo
He graduated from Keio University in 1997
with a bachelorʼs degree in electrical engineering and completed a masterʼs degree inelectrical engineering at Keio University in1999 He joined Matsushita Electric Industrial
Co Ltd He has been engaged in the researchand development of optical systems using
optical lenses and free‑form mirrors He was
the primary SE in charge of the projection
mapping for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020 Games

Figure 9 shows a scene of the Tokyo 2020 Games
Opening Ceremony in which the color red was expressedvery vividly We will continue to develop our projectors
and projection mapping technology to improve the image
quality and the workflow including production andoperation and to provide solutions for these improvements We intend to make further contributions to total
space production through projectors and projection
mapping technology in Japan and the world

SAKANISHI Yasuaki
He graduated from Nagoya Institute ofTechnology in 1987 with a bachelorʼs degree inelectronics He joined Matsushita ElectricIndustrial Co Ltd in the same year Since
then he has been engaged in the development
and design of high‑definition TVs projectors
displays and other products He was in chargeof projection mapping SE for the opening andclosing ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020 Games
Currently he is the manager of the System
Architect Section Business Development Center Panasonic Connect Co(Received March 29 2022 ; Revised April 13 2022 )㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇248

THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERS