Integration of data and reality: 100 million people light the Asian Games flame

100 million digital torchbearers join hands to light the main torch of the Asian Games

The first digital lighting ceremony in the history of the Asian Games is undoubtedly the most shining moment of the opening ceremony.

On the three-dimensional screen across the entire venue, a golden digital person symbolizing the 100 million digital torchbearers held a torch and slowly ran through the venue. Together with the real main torchbearers, they lit the main torch tower named "Tide".

The glory of lighting the Asian Games flame at this moment belongs not only to one person, but to the hundreds of millions of ordinary people who care about the Asian Games.

Where do these 100 million digital torchbearers come from?

The clock is set back to June 15, 2023. As the 100-day countdown to the Asian Games begins, the world's first "Asian Games Digital Torchbearer" platform launches an online torch relay event.

Over the past 100 days, more than 100 million people around the world have searched for "Asian Games" on Alipay and become digital torchbearers of the Asian Games through the smart Asian Games one-stop service, successfully creating the online torch relay event with the widest coverage, the largest number of participants, and the longest duration.

"Digital ignition of the opening ceremony is a national event, allowing everyone to participate in the Asian Games in the digital world." Sha Xiaolan, chief director and chief producer of the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games, said, "We hope that hundreds of millions of people can participate, so the Asian Games Organizing Committee recommended the Alipay platform. Through the continuous hard work of nearly a hundred engineers, the creative needs of the main creative team were met."

How difficult is it to support hundreds of millions of digital torchbearers to participate in the digital ignition of the opening ceremony? What kind of domestic core technology is behind it?

Supporting hundreds of millions of users to participate in online activities requires taking into account most device models. In cities and villages in China and even Asia, a large number of residents use low-performance mobile phones with small memory, slow operation, and old age.

For more than a year, in order to ensure the smooth operation of the digital torchbearer activities, the Hangzhou Asian Organizing Committee and its official partner Alipay have conducted a series of explorations and innovations using a variety of technologies such as self-developed 3D interactive engines, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and mini program clouds.

Through Galacean, Ant Group's self-developed Web3D interactive engine, the product has finally reached a scale of 100 million users and supports 97% of common smartphone devices. Users do not need to download an App and can upload the torch online through a small program.

The project team also set up a large test room, placed hundreds of mobile phones of different ages and models, and conducted more than 100,000 tests to ensure that old mobile phones from 8 years ago can also participate, achieving the goal of "everyone can become a digital torch bearer."

At the same time, with the help of artificial intelligence technology, the technical team developed 58 "face-pinching" controllers, conducted tens of thousands of AI motion captures, and collected hundreds of thousands of clothing image data, thus allowing the number of digital torchbearer images to reach two trillion, meeting the requirements that all digital torchbearers around the world can be "one-of-a-kind and unique."

On the night of September 23, hundreds of millions of digital torchbearers who join hands to light the Asian Games flame will also receive exclusive digital ignition certificates launched by the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee and Alipay based on blockchain technology. This is the world's first Asian Games digital certificate using blockchain technology, helping hundreds of millions of people to retain a unique memory of the Asian Games forever.

"AR+AI" technology integration creates classic Asian Games memories

The use of digital technology to create gorgeous images has become the core highlight of the Asian Games opening ceremony, and the integration of technologies such as AR (augmented reality) and AI (artificial intelligence) is even more refreshing.

In addition to "digital fireworks", the director team has made a breakthrough in using AR technology for live performance interaction - tens of thousands of people at the scene can open Alipay and have a variety of interesting interactions with the live program or stage effects through the official mini program.

Such as summoning the Asian Games mascot "Jiangnan Yi" and leaping into the center of the stage of the "Big Lotus" of the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

Release the wishing lanterns that incorporate Chinese cultural elements and let them fly into the night sky carrying your warm blessings.

During the much-anticipated ignition session, the audience scans the stage with their mobile phones and will see their own digital torchbearers slowly running towards the main torch tower to light the Asian Games flame together with hundreds of millions of people around the world.

The beautiful visual effects rely on the innovation and hard work of the technical support team. Fang Kai, an Alipay technical expert who is responsible for the interactive research and development of the opening ceremony, said that the project team integrated artificial intelligence, spatial computing, three-dimensional rendering and other technologies, and relied on the domestically developed Web3D graphics interactive engine Galacean. After three months of research and development optimization, the AR interaction achieved film and television-level delicate effects.

The most difficult challenge is how to seamlessly integrate AR animation with the live environment. The stage effect of the Asian Games opening ceremony is dazzling, and the lighting in the venue is also ever-changing. It is necessary for the camera to eliminate interference and quickly identify specific elements of the stage, and cooperate with the surrounding environment to achieve a wonderful effect such as "the mascot looks up on the big lotus to say hello".

In order to provide richer data for artificial intelligence and enable it to identify the stage more accurately, Fang Kai and his colleagues decided to input "with their feet".

For more than a month, nearly 30 Alipay engineers began the data collection work of "Standing at the Big Lotus". Along with the rehearsals of the opening ceremony program, they continued to take pictures and videos from different angles in the 3-story Grand Lotus Grandstand, 24 areas, and 216 points, and collected more than 400,000 frames of image data.

Finally, with the support of AI algorithms, the recognition success rate of AR interaction at the opening ceremony exceeded 95%, and it can operate stably in dark light environments.

"We hope that tens of thousands of spectators can also participate in the opening ceremony and become part of the live performance." Sha Xiaolan, chief director and chief producer of the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games, said, "This is also a manifestation of the smart Asian Games, using the power of technological innovation to create classic memories of the Asian Games."