This ones for all the soccer fans out there and with only three more days to the mega sporting event, the organizers are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to giving the fullest entertainment. For the first time ever in the history of soccer, FIFA has acknowledged the use of technology by officials to detect if the ball has entered the goal .
A German company, GoalControl has been roped in to do the technical part of detecting whether the ball has crossed the Goal line. This particular firm was chosen from among four other Goal line technology companies after it detected the 68 goals scored accurately during the FIFA Federations Cup 2013. GoalControls 4D system used 14 cameras, seven aimed at each goalpost to detect if the ball crossed the goal line completely.
With this technology the referees are notified on their wristwatches if there has been a goal and if not the game can continue on its course smoothly. Also the cameras sensors are expected to detect any ball movement within at least 5 millimeters.
Rolf Dittrich, a GoalControl spokesperson, said that the tech can detect any kind of ball and no modification are required regarding the pitch.
He added that such precision could be reached when the images captured are sent to a powerful computer that could track the ball movement ignoring the the players and other obstacles.
Regarding the wristwatches used for the notification, the firm confirmed that they were not smartwatches but watches with an integrated circuit technology designed by Fraunhofer-Institute, another German firm. At the moment, for the WC’14, they indicate on a goal only with the word “Goal” popping up on the screen but the firm plans to add a timer too to the watch.
In a tournament where each goal could decide upon the advancement of a team and their nation such technological inputs could only help reach the coveted cup.