{"id":4269,"date":"2017-05-16T17:39:19","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T17:39:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/?p=4269"},"modified":"2017-05-16T17:39:19","modified_gmt":"2017-05-16T17:39:19","slug":"japans-superhuman-athletes-mix-legends-high-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/2017\/05\/16\/japans-superhuman-athletes-mix-legends-high-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan\u2019s \u2018Superhuman\u2019 athletes mix legends with high tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to culture and entertainment, Japan has a rich history spanning ancient legends and sport to popular comics and video games.Now a new generation of inventors is drawing on this culture to create sports with a 21st<\/sup>-century twist\u2014helping players feel \u201csuperhuman\u201d through technology or other special equipment.<\/p>\n

The Superhuman Sports Society, a Tokyo-based group of researchers and game designers, has certified 12 new sports since its launch in 2015, including \u201cHADO\u201d, or \u201cwave motion\u201d in English.<\/p>\n

In \u201cHADO\u201d, players in head-mounted augmented-reality displays and armband sensors dodge waves of light as they fire energy balls at each other in a virtual arena. The game is similar to the action seen in the \u201cDragon Ball\u201d manga-animation franchise and \u201cStreet Fighter\u201d video games.<\/p>\n

Some games are low tech such as \u201cRock Hand Battle\u201d, in which each player wears an oversized arm and tries to knock off small rocks attached to an opponent\u2019s \u201crock hand\u201d.<\/p>\n

Noriya Kazami, 25, a cartoonist and an inventor of \u201cRock Hand Battle\u201d (above), said she took inspiration from the legend of Mitsuishi (Three Rocks) and the Demon\u2019s Handprint.<\/p>\n

She also created a comic book series based on the legend, in which a devil was tied to rocks and made to stop harassing the local people. The devil left a handprint on one of the rocks, making a \u201crock hand\u201d.<\/p>\n

We asked other players for their thoughts on playing \u201cSuperhuman Sports\u201d.<\/p>\n

BUBBLE-WRAPPED SUMO<\/h1>\n

Ryoichi Ando, 27, a virtual-reality researcher and an inventor of \u201cBubble Jumper\u201d, said he felt as if he were wearing the kind of augmented body suit found in science-fiction movies that boosts the wearer\u2019s strength.<\/p>\n

In \u201cBubble Jumper\u201d, players walking on stilts and wearing inflatable bubble protectors crash into each other like sumo wrestlers.<\/p>\n

TOKYO DRIFT<\/h1>\n

\u201cTechnology can improve and supplement human ability,\u201d said Isao Uebayashi, 38, a sports science researcher and an inventor of \u201cSlide Lift\u201d. \u201cAnyone can do \u2018drift racing\u2019 with this wheelchair,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Equipped with special wheels, the motor-assisted wheelchair can be moved by \u201cSlide Lift\u201d racers in any direction, including in racing car-like drifts.<\/p>\n

IN ANOTHER WORLD<\/h1>\n

Tomohiro Hamamura, 25, who works in IT sales and is a \u201cHADO Kart\u201d player, said: \u201cWhen I play this sport, I don\u2019t need to think seriously. I just feel the existence of another world which is different from my real world.\u201d<\/p>\n

INTERNET IDOL<\/h1>\n

Piyohina, an Internet idol and singer of animation songs, said: \u201cWhen I play HADO, I always simulate in my head the best way to fire an energy ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

ENERGY SENSATION<\/h1>\n

Junpei Sasaki, a singer and \u201cHADO\u201d player, said: \u201cSometimes I can feel the sensation of the energy ball leaving my hand when I play HADO. It makes playing the sport really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

UP IN THE AIR<\/h1>\n

Hirohiko Hayakawa, 26, a Ph.D student in media design and an inventor of \u201cToriTori\u201d, said: \u201cThe drone in the air is a part of the player\u2019s body and this sport integrating human and machine makes me experience the feeling of flying.\u201d Hayakawa said he was inspired by the bird catchers (\u201ctori tori\u201d in Japanese) in Kenji Miyazawa\u2019s classic 1934 fantasy novel \u201cNight on the Galactic Railroad\u201d.<\/p>\n

TAKING THE REINS<\/h1>\n

Kosuke Sato, 25, a Ph.D. student in human informatics and an inventor of \u201cCarry Otto\u201d, said he wanted to create a sport anyone could enjoy regardless of age, gender or disability. Carry Otto is a motorized wheel device with reins that pull a rider seated on a dolly. Riders race each other.<\/p>\n

Reuters<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Picture source: Alamy Image <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Picture used for illustrative purposes alon<\/em>e<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to culture and entertainment, Japan has a rich history spanning ancient legends and sport to popular comics and video games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[29,31],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4269"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4269\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kt10.khaleejtimes.ae\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}