Among the most definitive tests for human athleticism is sports, but this doesn’t mean that technology cannot facilitate it. When it comes to administering and officiating at competitions, new technology can succeed where humans may not. This ensures a fair conclusion of their performance and ensures that athletes win in a fair manner. Here are two exciting new technologies being used in the sports industry today.
RFID chips
RFID chips are often used to time individual contestants in an event. RFID chips are used in long-distance races to assist broadcasters and viewers track where the contestants are during a race. There are two types of chips used in competitions: passive and active chips. Active chips have an inbuilt battery or power source and can determine the exact time a player crosses a specific line. Passive chips can only be used with sensors placed in a mat because they don’t have an in-built power source.
Timing Systems
What this means for sports is that differences in reaction time no longer affect the accuracy and consistency of a racing event. In many races today, the starter pistol is related to a clock. Once the pistol goes off, the clock immediately begins timing the race. On the other hand, swimming uses a touchpad placed in the end lanes as well as wearable inertial sensors to determine performance. Many racing events around the world also use laser beams and photo finish detectors to determine winners.
The results of timing systems are often calibrated to the nearest thousand of a second. However, Olympic and world records are only recorded to the nearest hundredth of a second. This technique was established to eliminate insignificant errors.
Technology has taken over the modern world. Around the world, amateurs and professional sports bodies alike have adopted these new technologies to protect athletes and to make it easier to officiate the games.