Welcome to The Tech Race.
A watch smart enough to make referees flawless.
How is a complex camera system
set to make football a fairer sport?
(FOOTBALL GOAL CONTROL)
The ball is recorded by high-speed cameras
that can tell when it crosses the goal line.
Referees get information in real time on their wrist,
meaning they no longer need to rely solely
on what their eyes can see.
Of course, we do not want to make wrong decisions.
The goal-line technology really supports us in this issue,
It's like a partner on our field.
The referee needs a signal on the clock
to know within one second if there is a goal or not,
and that's impossible without affecting on the game,
without stopping the game.
Therefore, that one second is so important,
to avoid interruptions.
(GERMANY)
(AACHEN)
The Tivoli Stadium in Aachen, Germany,
is equipped with the goal-line control system.
14 high-speed cameras record both goals at 400 to 500 FPS
This speed is necessary to capture the ball
as it flies towards the goal.
The cameras that we use are all around the pitch,
normally at elevated positions on the roof.
They're connected to computers
by fibreoptic cables,
each camera to one computer.
This computer is analysing the images from each camera
and the filtering out, basically, the ball.
(GOAL CONTROL)
The system comprises a small server farm that receives data
from the seven cameras that record each goal,
and is able to calculate the ball's position
with a precision of 5mm.
With this data, we can do two things -
we can overlay virtual graphics
to the real view of the pitch,
and we can also create complete virtual animations
that are very accurate.
So, we can really make a decision in real time.
The master computer that is creating the 3D data,
also has a rule implemented
to decide when a ball has crossed the line.
When the ball crosses the line, this computer creates a signal
that goes to an radio antenna on the roof,
and this signal is transmitted to the referee's watch,
and it starts vibrating for ten seconds.
To make this possible, the ball used during the match
has to be "presented" to the system.
The process is called "teach in" and consists of showing
the ball to all of the cameras,
so they can track and distinguish it
from the surroundings.
(THE SYSTEM WAS CERTIFIED BY FIFA IN 2013)
Normally, teach-in procedures
you can either do it artificially or on the pitch.
Right before the match, we do some tests.
We walk next to the goal.
This should show that there are no "phantom goals".
Next, we kick the ball into the goal to check,
"OK, it really works, the watch vibrates."
The football must be in view of at least two cameras
at any time for reliable tracking.
This is why seven cameras are dedicated to each goal,
as players can interfere in the most exciting moments
and block the camera's view of the ball.
An impossible situation would be if the goalkeeper
really jumps on the ball and covers it completely,
but, so far, nobody has ever done it on the goal-line
or inside of the goal.
The system is very important for deciding
between victory and defeat, ultimately.
We know that human beings can make mistakes.
And it's not easy to 100% ensure,
that the ball is over the line or not.
So, I think, as the technical possibility exists,
we should use it.
Football has its roots in ancient China,
while the modern version of the game began in England.
First appearing in the Olympic Games Paris 1900,
in 1996, women's football was also introduced.
There are a lot challenges
when you do something in a live environment.
We have to cope with weather conditions, with wind.
We have to cope with all the fans,
the audience in the stadium.
There are 50,000 cellphones in the stadium -
that means there is a lot of noise, of signals,
for the radio transmission.
Researchers are already working on the next step -
a system able to track the ball as well as player positions
during a match on the whole pitch.
Slower than other sports,
technology is making an impact in football.
However, the referee will always have the last word.
(THE TECH RACE)