The 15th National Games, hosted for the first time across three areas-Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in south China, one of China's most dynamic economic regions collectively known as the Greater Bay Area, highlight China's technological prowess.

Spectacular opening

The opening ceremony in the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Guangzhou city on November 9 showcased the beauty of technology in motion, integrating seamlessly the unique characteristics of the Greater Bay Area.

The "Dialogue Between Past and Present" blended traditional southern China culture with modern technology, exemplified by a spectacular lion dance performance interwoven with AI generated content. A performance of the Yingge Dance, a dynamic folk dance blending martial arts, opera, and dance with gongs and drums, was accompanied by holographic projections, and a dragon boat race was enacted "rowing" into the audience seats through augmented reality technology.

"In the past, large-scale events like this required many performers," said Meng Ke, executive director of the opening ceremony. "With technological advances, we can now create powerful effects with far fewer people and greater efficiency."

Robots play ancient bronze musical instrument

Three fully autonomous humanoid robots with embodied intelligence, the Walker S2 models, struck bronze musical instrument modeled on their historical prototypes unearthed from the nearby 2,000-year-old tomb of the king of an ancient kingdom, creating a harmonious resonance that spanned over two millennia.

It was the first time a national sports event used humanoid robots as opening ceremony performers, and also the first time in the world that humanoid robots played millennia-old bronze ritual music.   See page 2

Walker S2 is 176 centimeters tall and weighs 70 kilograms. Its body has 52 degrees of flexibility and uses the world's first hot-swappable autonomous battery replacement system for humanoid robots. This enables autonomous battery replacement in just three minutes, and is also equipped with the self-developed co-agent technology, the world's first intelligent agent specifically designed for the body of industrial humanoid robots.

In addition to the groundbreaking opening ceremony, Walker S2 is participating in multiple core functions of the Games. It is on duty in various locations such as the competition sites, the main operations center, the event operation command center, and the main media center to provide intelligent services, promoting the principle of "technology serving events".

Renovations for Games & daily life

The stadium has an area of 654,600 square meters, capable of accommodating approximately 75,000 people. Its eye-catching ribbon-like roof conveys a sense of "floating and flying gracefully."

To convey this impression, the designing team from the Chinese Academy of Engineering showed bold innovation. While maintaining the basic shape of the roof, they creatively added a PTFE suspended membrane design, covering a large area of exposed steel structures to optimize the visual effect. Modern floodlight projection technology was harnessed to create diverse and dynamic light and shadow effects on the roof, forming a brand-new "ribbon".

This "flowing ribbon" effect has not only enhanced the aesthetic appeal but also added more functionality to the roof. During events, by integrating projection technology, the venue transforms into a performance space that is both visually appealing and interactive, enhancing the atmosphere.

There are many more renovations inside the venue. The entrance passage is a slightly inclined ramp, adhering to the design concept of being friendly to people of all ages. When the Games concludes, people can come here to exercise, making the venue blend into the daily life of people.