News Release
September 25, 2026
Canon Inc.
TOKYO, September 25, 2026—Canon Inc. announced today that it conducted a demonstration on September 18 of a live remote sports viewing experience in which participants used mixed reality (MR) devices to watch a basketball game in 3D from freely selectable viewpoints. The demonstration combined Canon's volumetric video technology with its MREAL mixed reality system and IOWN All-Photonics Network (APN), led by NTT. The experiment marked the world's first initiative to recreate a competition venue as 3D spatial data at a remote location and provide live viewing through MR (Mixed Reality) devices, allowing spectators to watch events from freely chosen viewpoints.
For the demonstration, approximately 100 cameras captured a basketball game at Aichi International Arena during the 2026 Asian Games. This demonstration showed that the 3D spatial data-generation server, which previously had to be installed at the capture site, could be deployed remotely, enabling optimized equipment placement at the venue as well as more efficient infrastructure and operational management.
At Canon’s Kawasaki Office, video taken from the arena was used to generate 3D data, which was then transmitted in real time to a separate satellite viewing site in Tokyo. There, approximately 60 participants holding MR devices watched the game live in 3D on a tabletop display and were able to view the action from any angle, creating a new kind of sports viewing experience in which users can experience the excitement of being at the venue even from a faraway location. The demonstration test participants, including people involved in sports-related businesses and facility operators, commented that this technology could potentially transform how sports fans watch live events.
Going forward, Canon will continue to strengthen collaboration with partners in Japan and around the world, as well as engage with facility operators, to promote the practical implementation of this technology and create new visual experiences for sports fans.
- 1IOWN APN is an all-photonics communications infrastructure for high-capacity, low-latency transmission. In this demonstration, it was used to transmit video and 3D spatial data between the three locations.
IOWN APN is an all-photonics communications infrastructure for high-capacity, low-latency transmission. In this demonstration, it was used to transmit video and 3D spatial data between the three locations.
- 2As of September 24, 2026, based on Canon research
As of September 24, 2026, based on Canon research
- *Canon is an official partner of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Canon is an official partner of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
