Bringing together 6,500 athletes from over 70 countries, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham was the latest major event to demonstrate the feel-good power of sport.
With 1.5 million viewers expected to be on-site at 13 locations over the 11-day event, as well as a television audience of around 1.5 billion around the world, recruiting effective technology partners was paramount.
Printing technology often goes unnoticed and even unnoticed in much of our daily lives, but Canon’s decades of experience have helped make the 2022 Commonwealth Games its smartest yet – but that wasn’t all the company had up its sleeve .
Canon Services
“It’s a great moment to finally be in Birmingham,” said Pete Morris, Brand & Sponsorship Senior Manager, Canon EMEA, at a press event attended by the Tech Radar Pro.
“We’ve always been involved with sport – it’s something that’s in our DNA… We’re not a partner who just looks at our logo above the door of a particular event and sits back and enjoys that presence. We are very concerned with integrating our technology into the event, supporting the organizers and spectators who come and enhancing their experience.”
As the Games’ official imaging partner, Canon provided a range of services and systems that were essential to the smooth running of the event.
Perhaps most obviously, it offered managed print services for the entire games, with Canon printers behind all the physical documentation from tickets to waivers and even the event schedules used by the 100m final starter. But the company also provided the printing systems for banners, signage and more, helping to create a vibrant and colorful spectacle during the Games with its impressive portfolio of printing hardware, software and on-site services.
As a nod to its other successful division, Canon also helped support all of the professional photographers at the games. The Canon Professional Services team were on hand to assist media and photojournalists alike with repairs, repairs and even equipment rental to ensure not a moment of the action was missed.
Canon Medical
It’s the third branch of Canon’s activity that could be perhaps the most surprising but also the most groundbreaking if the technology seen at the Commonwealth Games 2022 has anything to offer.
Perhaps little known outside of healthcare, Canon’s medical imaging capabilities are saving lives around the world as their technology helps patients in a multitude of ways.
At the Commonwealth Games, three Canon medical polyclinics were deployed at venues to assist athletes with injuries. AI-assisted MRI, diagnostic ultrasound and digital X-rays with full healthcare IT connectivity were all made available in the Athletes Villages and in diagnostic vehicles.
Canon says its systems will help doctors and medical professionals quickly and digitally assess common musculoskeletal-related problems, such as bone, muscle, tendon or joint injuries, without lengthy consultations or even the need to be taken to local hospitals to become.
The Vantage Orian 1.5T MRI scanners used at the facilities also feature Canon Medical UK’s groundbreaking Advanced Intelligent Clear-IQ Engine (AiCE). This technology uses training data from thousands of images and datasets to intelligently remove “noise” from new images, allowing for a much clearer view of a human body in one scan. According to Canon, AiCE can help reduce scan time and improve resolution, resulting in greater efficiency and patient comfort.
“Healthcare needs to be predictive and proactive… not reactive,” said Mark Hitchman, MD, Canon Medical Systems UK.
Canon has a range of mobile scanner units offering CT and MRI scans in specially equipped trucks that can travel around the country, which has proved particularly useful during the pandemic. But Hitchman also believes the form factor proves local healthcare facilities can be upgraded at a lower cost than expected.
With the government understandably keen to improve regional facilities in the wake of the pandemic and worries about overwhelmed NHS hospitals, Canon’s units show what new local diagnostic centers can look like.
Bringing what many still see as cutting-edge technology to local communities could be a game changer for the UK, and Canon is hoping its initial focus on some of the world’s greatest athletes could be the first step towards a healthier future.