Yamaha gives voice to remote cheering at events
by Yanitsa BoyadzhievaElectronics giant Yamaha Corporation announced it has developed an app allowing users to send audio sounds such as cheering and applause to stadiums, connecting players and spectators at sports events during social distancing.
The Japan-based company said it has conducted a field trial of its Remote Cheerer app at the Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in the city of Fukuroi, with a capacity of 50,000 seats. The test was completed in collaboration with professional Japanese football teams Jubilo Iwata and Shimizu S-Pulse.
During the test, fans sent audio through the app to the stadium area they wanted it to be delivered to, with sounds transmitted via speakers located at the venue. Users were able to deliver a number of sounds, including cheering, applause, football chants and even booing.
“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,” Yamaha said in its statement.
The company said it will continue to develop and promote the system, but noted it was still waiting for patent approval. A launch of the system was not confirmed.