http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-11/keeping-the-world-cup-honest-referee-smartwatches-and-high-speed-cameras.html
At this year's FIFA World Cup, referees' wristwatches don't just tell time. They also buzz when a goal is scored.
When Argentina's Lionel Messi drills a shot at Germany's goal during the final match of the tournament on Sunday, seven high-speed cameras pointed at the net will record the ball's movement, millisecond by millisecond. Refs on the field will receive a notification transmitted to their smartwatches within a second after the shot that reads either "goal" or "no goal."
This has been the first World Cup where technology is helping to decide goals. Previously, officiators had only their eyes to rely on, and that inevitably led to human error. During the last World Cup in South Africa, England took a shot against Germany that hit the crossbar, landed inside the goal and jumped back out. The call was obvious from the replay, but the refs on the field missed it. England wasn’t awarded the score, which would have tied it up, and the Brits were knocked out of the tournament.
FIFA has approved four types of goal-line technology for use in games. Two of them use involve cameras, and the other two rely on chips embedded in the ball combined with magnetic-field sensors in each goal capable of detecting when it crosses the line. A FIFA spokeswoman said the organization installed a German-engineered magnetic system called GoalRef for the 2012 Club World Cup, an annual 10-day tournament.
Soccer’s rule makers decided not to use chipped balls for the sport’s most important global event. Any major changes to the ball can cause players, coaches and fans to kick up dust. FIFA had intended to use a “smart ball” in the 2006 World Cup, an unpopular plan that was abandoned months before kick-off in Germany. Even minor changes that don’t involve technology can backfire. The 2010 Adidas ball used in South Africa was ridiculed by players for its unpredictable bounces. (Americans loved it thanks to a wacky hop that may have helped Clint Dempsey score on England.)
At this year's FIFA World Cup, referees' wristwatches don't just tell time. They also buzz when a goal is scored.
When Argentina's Lionel Messi drills a shot at Germany's goal during the final match of the tournament on Sunday, seven high-speed cameras pointed at the net will record the ball's movement, millisecond by millisecond. Refs on the field will receive a notification transmitted to their smartwatches within a second after the shot that reads either "goal" or "no goal."
This has been the first World Cup where technology is helping to decide goals. Previously, officiators had only their eyes to rely on, and that inevitably led to human error. During the last World Cup in South Africa, England took a shot against Germany that hit the crossbar, landed inside the goal and jumped back out. The call was obvious from the replay, but the refs on the field missed it. England wasn’t awarded the score, which would have tied it up, and the Brits were knocked out of the tournament.
FIFA has approved four types of goal-line technology for use in games. Two of them use involve cameras, and the other two rely on chips embedded in the ball combined with magnetic-field sensors in each goal capable of detecting when it crosses the line. A FIFA spokeswoman said the organization installed a German-engineered magnetic system called GoalRef for the 2012 Club World Cup, an annual 10-day tournament.
Soccer’s rule makers decided not to use chipped balls for the sport’s most important global event. Any major changes to the ball can cause players, coaches and fans to kick up dust. FIFA had intended to use a “smart ball” in the 2006 World Cup, an unpopular plan that was abandoned months before kick-off in Germany. Even minor changes that don’t involve technology can backfire. The 2010 Adidas ball used in South Africa was ridiculed by players for its unpredictable bounces. (Americans loved it thanks to a wacky hop that may have helped Clint Dempsey score on England.)
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