TOKYO: Japanese audio technology major Yamaha Corporation has developed a system using a smartphone app that allows sports fans to cheer players from home.
Yamaha tested the system on Wednesday at Yamaha Stadium in Iwata City. The stadium is home to J-League football club Jubilo Iwata.
Users tap “cheer,” “clap” and other buttons on their smartphone app and the sound is blared from speakers around the stadium. Fans can also broadcast their voices through the speakers.
Yamaha is asking pro baseball and pro football teams in Japan to introduce the system.
Engineer Seto Yuki says cheering encourages both players and fans. He says his team hopes to make the system available next month.
Japan’s pro baseball season will start on June 19 after a three-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Games will be played without spectators for the time being to prevent the spread of the virus.
J-League matches have been suspended since late February and the league has yet to announce when they will resume.In response to the current situation, Yamaha recently collaborated with
The system, “Remote Cheerer powered by SoundUD” allows fans and supporters watching a game via TV, radio or live streaming to passionately support the players by sending cheers to an event venue from the comfort of their home or other remote location.
By just tapping buttons on a smartphone application, cheering is delivered via speakers placed around the venue, and viewers can choose the area from which their audio is delivered. This allows users to send their support as if they were right there in the stands behind the goal.
While the system has potential applications for a variety of situations, testing was done with spectatorless matches in mind. System usability was tested by placing a total of 58 speaker units around the stadium and having users in multiple remote locations use smartphones to send cheers, applause, booing, etc., in addition to clapping along with club chants.
This was the first time the system was used at an outdoor venue, and users were able to gain a sense of being present at the venue, even with it being a massive stadium. The field test was able to verify the usability of the system as a means of supporting teams in competition while removing the associated risk of infection, and demonstrated the ability to create a spectator atmosphere similar to that of a real match by using separate audio transmission zones for each club without interfering with existing venue facilities, announcements, etc.
Yamaha will continue development and promotion of the system in order to contribute to creating an environment in which people can watch sporting events safely and with ease of mind during both normal and unprecedented circumstances such as these.
Remote Cheerer powered by SoundUD
By using SoundUD* technologies, the system can easily make events more interactive via functionality that includes allowing only those viewing a live broadcast to participate in showing their support, delivering viewer-only content or services in conjunction with a broadcast, changing the content of signage at a venue in response to audio sent by users, and more.
*SoundUD is a combination of technologies promoted by the SoundUD Consortium (administered by Yamaha Corporation) with the aim of making universal design for sound a reality. Compatible apps can be used at SoundUD-enabled spots to easily access a variety of information relevant to that space in response to sound, location, etc. The OMOTENASHI GUIDE app (available from the Aerial Acoustic Communications Association) uses SoundUD technologies to help guarantee information accessibility by providing information in multiple written languages for those who may not understand announcements and other audio spoken in Japanese.
