The Goal Line Technology, first tested in 2005 during the U-17 FIFA World Cup in Peru, is the product of the cooperation between Adidas, Cairos Technologies and FIFA. The companies began their cooperation back in 2003, with the first system using radio transmissions to correspond with a central computer and with a microchip suspended in the ball, in order to determine the ball’s location in the field.
The new system, on the other hand, uses a magnetic field to provide real-time feedback to a central computer, which tracks the location of the ball on the field and sends the data directly to the referee. This new intelligent technology is extremely precise, since it is not affected by the weather or by other in-game factors.
Hans-Peter Nuernberg, Senior Development Engineer of the Adidas Innovation Team, explained, “The purpose of the Adidas intelligent ball and Goal Line Technology is to provide greater transparency during a match and to assist the referee in making quick decisions that can impact the outcome and quality of the game”.
The system still needs refining, which is why it is important to test it repeatedly in various in-game situations. A competitive tournament like the FIFA Club World Cup can provide the scientists with valuable feedback that will help them make the necessary improvements. The companies developing the system comment that once the test results are evaluated, a decision regarding the next appropriate time to test the system again will be announced publicly at a later time. The new system currently meets all of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) requirements and the ball has been approved by FIFA for competitive international play.
TFOT recently covered the RoboCup 2007 annual challenge, including the first soccer match between microscopic robots. The motto of the competition’s organizers was that “By mid-21st century, a team of fully autonomous humanoid robot soccer players shall win the soccer game, complying with the official rule of the FIFA, against the winner of the most recent World Cup”.
More information on the Teamgeist II can be found on the Adidas website.
