Chip-enabled ball at 2006 World Cup soccer games?

[Renew Deal]

Technology would help referees make crucial goal-line calls

By John Blau, IDG News Service
October 25, 2005

Engineers working on a chip-enabled soccer ball are optimistic about the technology being used at the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup soccer tournament in Germany next year.

"We've been testing the technology at the main soccer stadium in Nuremberg for some time and more recently in an under-17 FIFA tournament in Peru," said Günter Rohmer, director of performance-optimized systems at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Erlangen, Germany. "The technology has performed well, and we're pretty optimistic that it will be used at the games in Germany next year."

FIFA has shown interest in the technology -- largely to help referees make crucial goal-line calls -- but has yet to make a final decision.

The radio-based tracking system could also be used to determine whether or not a ball has gone out of bounds, to compile statistics about individual players and more, said Rohmer, in an interview at the Systems IT exhibition and conference in Munich.
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http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/10/25/HNsoccerballs_1.html?source=NLC-TB2005-10-25

[DelawareValleyDem]

1. Can it detect 'Hand of God' goals? nt

[dr.zoidberg]

2. It wouldn't have helped.

Maradona's God-like abilities would have made the chip short out:) .

[nickgutierrez]

3. If it works, I'm all for it.

Anything that makes umpiring/refereeing more precise, in any sport, has my backing.

[northzax]

4. line out and goal calls

are a good place for technology. it's not a judgement call if the ball went over the line or not, it's a fact, and that can be dealt with by technology. a computer cannot judge a tackle, or a hand ball, but a goal? no problem. the electric eye has helped tennis immensely.