A new talent spotting system powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used by developers to spot the next Olympic gold medalists, according to the BBC.

As the alarm sounds, Tacto quickly runs to drag the infrared sensors in front of him as some of them suddenly flash blue. Not far away, his younger brother Tomo sprints around a short track as his movement is tracked by a series of cameras.

The two brothers, aged 7 and 4 respectively from Yokohama, Japan, are taking part in a series of artificial intelligence tests specially created near the Olympic Stadium in Paris. The goal of the system is to identify the potential gold medalists of the future.

Data is collected from five tests that include activities such as running, jumping and measuring grip strength.

This information is then analyzed to assess a person’s strength, explosiveness, endurance, reaction time, strength and agility. Results are compared with data from professional and Olympic athletes.

“We use computer vision and historical data so that the average person can compare themselves to elite athletes and see which sport is more physically aligned,” says Sarah Vickers, head of Intel’s Olympic and Paralympic Program.

After the tests are completed, each participant is told which sport they would be most suited to from a list of 10 sports.

Intel says all data collected from participating individuals is deleted once the process is complete.

The AI ​​system that is open to trial by those in Paris to watch the Olympics features a smaller, portable device that can connect to most devices that have a basic camera and some computing power.

“With just a mobile phone or a tablet or a computer you have this opportunity to go places you couldn’t go before,” says Sarah.

This AI technology can evaluate people’s performance simply by analyzing video from the camera without the need for physical sensors.

The International Olympic Committee recently took the system to Senegal, where it toured five different villages and assessed more than 1,000 children on their athletic potential.

In collaboration with the Senegalese National Olympic Committee, and after a round of follow-up more advanced tests, it identified 48 children with “enormous potential” and one with “excellent potential”.