Gadgets to join FIFA fan club !!! – The goal line technology

FIFA 2014 welcomes and accommodates “Electronic gadgets” to watch the entire game especially THE GOALS in the court.

Jealous??? You didn’t get a ticket !!!

FIFA 2014 is to introduce goal line technology (GLT) for the first time!

At every FIFA at least 2 to 3 goals are to be argued, at times has even led to bad blood between fans. No more fights. No more arguments – “GLT”  comes in for rescue.

Challenges in Goal determination

The human eye can approximately handle only 16 images per second, which means the ball needs to be behind the line for at least 60 milliseconds.  However, in some cases the ball is behind the line for a few milliseconds before a player kicks it back or it rebounds back into the field of play, and hence the referee cannot see whether the ball has crossed the line.

The ball can only be detected by the human eye at a speed of 12km/h or less, whereas nowadays players are able to shoot at a speed of over 120km/hr. Another challenge is the vantage point. When viewed from certain angles, it is easy to misjudge the ball’s position. Cameras placed at different angles can mislead viewers when showing images “proving” whether or not the ball has crossed the line, which is why only technology dedicated to evaluating such incidents can support the referee in the decision-making process and contribute to a fair game.

Hence, FIFA has welcomed GLT.

What is GLT?

GLT is an optical technology where 14 high speed cameras, running at 500 frames per second will be positioned in the court. Seven cameras are to watch one goal post and the other seven to watch the other goal post. All the 14 cameras are connected to a mainframe placed in the stadium and will keep sending images to the mainframe computer .

The image processing system connected with the cameras filter out players, referee and other moving objects and sends only the images of the ball.

Thin coils embedded in the ball allow the ball to be precisely tracked. A low frequency electromagnetic field is set in the field. And therefore, by the very basic FARADAY’s law, at the moment, when the ball crosses the goal line, an electrical signal is generated. The electromagnetic field is not too strong and therefore the goal keeper won’t get fried!

Hence when it’s a goal, the mainframe sends an encrypted signal to the referee’s modified wristwatch and the watch vibrates.

Thats cool right??

Is the Technology Secure?

So, if I get to decrypt the signals, I can make the goal in favour of my team. No fans!! No cheating !!! Its almost next to IMPOSSIBLE. The technology is highly secured. First and foremost, the frequency. The frequency with which the data is being transmitted keeps changing simultaneously both in the mainframe and in the watch.  So only the watch and the mainframe know at what frequency they are communicating with. Not even the referee! Secondly, the encrypted  code sent along with the data changes at the rate of millisecond.

The cameras are strong enough and have a better eye site than the officials, even mud on the ball will not affect the system.

Fans ! Even fog, rain or snow can disrupt the game, BUT NOT GLT!!!