Sports, regardless of their kind, are a celebration of emotions, persistence, and skill. It is the only sector where technology doesn’t give anyone an edge, and offers a level playing field, helping the game run in a balanced, unbiased manner. Is Technology The Future helps elevate the power potential of decisions without ruining the game.
In the backdrop of pandemic effects, technology has been revolutionizing the way we experience sports. Helping overcome the limitation of human performances, technical advances in sports, fitness, and athletics are paving the way to better gameplays. We are talking about hawk eyes predictions in a cricket match, tel fitness apps for home workouts, performance tracking systems of players, and automated decision-making equipment, to name a few.
Let us know more about the current advancement of tech in the field and realize the advancements in sports technology.
Help For Umpires And Referees In Sports
All of us can relate to wrong decisions by umpires in our favorite sports. Well, we can’t blame the on-field staff. There is a limitation to the human eye and sometimes, the verdict may come out wrong. These kinds of errors are now minimized through the technical advancements in the industry. There are video replays that help support evidence-based decisions. Referees can make the right calls using high-tech aids. The on-field umpires are in constant communication with the technical staff through wireless communication.
They can seek aid and consultation to make better decisions. In football, replays decide the off-side decisions and much more. In cricket, the third umpire is consulted several times. Almost every sport has well-equipped referees and umpires which makes the game square.
Data Collection Of Sports
The analytical department of the sports team uses top-notch technical tools to collect and organize data interestingly. The software-driven spreadsheets, the visual graphs of a player’s performance, the pitch report, and the record comparison, all of this is possible thanks to the new-age technological parameters. This not only helps teams reflect on their performances but also ensures accuracy. Data collection through new means has changed the game a lot. This is because, earlier, the collection was done manually which resulted in errors and was a tiresome process. Also, there are several devices such as GPS, accelerometers, compass, and weather detectors that help in the accurate measurement of data.
Hawkeye For Better Sports Experience
If you are a fan of cricket, you would be aware of this term. Simply said, it is a combination of a computer and camera system that traces the accurate trajectory of a ball. Besides, cricket, the technology finds its use in sports like tennis. Nowadays, the system is also becoming popular in Soccer to trace and assess the goal line faults. Recently, the UK Premier League, one of the most prevalent in the world, has agreed to use Goal-line sensors.
The world authority of Football’s rule-maker has also given their nod to this technology. The Hawk-eye for soccer will provide a definitive decision on whether the ball has crossed the boundary or not. The camera will use 600 frames per second protocol, offering information in real. The data can be easily analyzed by the technical staff and they would inform the on-field referee through a headset or the wireless device on his wrist.
Hawkeye has also been used in rugby games since 2015. It helped in enhancing the player’s safety while supporting the decision-making of the umpires. The use of enhanced video review is prominent over ball tracking in games like rugby. Recently, Hawk-Eye corrected many calls and decisions through real timeline calls in 2020,US Open Tennis tournament.
Telefitness
Credit it to the workout-from-home policies of the pandemic or the ease of convenience, the concept of telefitness has spread like wildfire in recent times. The technology makes remote coaching and home workouts a possibility. The category offers a wide range of solutions ranging from fitness trackers and smart wearables to popular video conferencing tools and instructor mobile apps. Future technologies like smart mirrors are also coming into play.
Telefitness ticks all the right boxes because it is highly adaptable. The services in this sector are important for healthcare purposes as well. Elderly people who are trying to recover from injuries or don’t have access to gyms can address the challenges using the telefitness engagement modules. As of today, there are millions of telehealth and wellness applications that provide useful information and data for well-being.
Computer Software In Sports
Leaving aside the hassle of sheets and paper, laptops and smart devices have become the new rage in the sports management industry. Various companies are offering customized software packages that can help authorities overcome various challenges. For instance, the computer software designed for the fitness and nutrition of the players can help organize data and produce accurate reports. The selectors can decide the best players to choose in the playing team to extract favorable results.
Another use of computer software is during the match. The real-time analysis offers a fish-eye view of the performance of every player in the opponent’s team. Using this, the other team can alter their strategy within the game.
The Team Beep test is popular computer software that conducts and records the results of the beep directly on the computer. Another fine example is the Body Byte software that helps management organize the information related to training, fitness, and nutrition.
Technological hardware
Using state-of-the-art hardware has helped sporting professionals make wiser decisions. There are tons of gadgets, equipment, and machinery tools installed on the field that help aid in decision-making. In Cricket, a small mike is fitted in the stumps that record the sound of the ball touching the bat. Similarly, in tennis, the on-field cameras and sensors track the ball and provide data on the umpire’s screen in milliseconds.
Then how can we forget those overhead cameras, the automatic rolling videography tools, and the sensors around the field? All of these make sports interesting, ensuring that the play is fair from all aspects.
Nowadays, companies use various sensors and vital monitoring devices no players to analyze, inspect and improve their performances. The digital data can be shared, organized, and retrieved by players so that they know the area which requires immediate improvement.
Conclusion
While the past and present are quite interesting, the future is surprising. We can expect the unity of sports and technology to break the boundaries in the future. And all of this will elevate the interest in the games. With so much already in play today, it is only a matter of time that we will witness a different spectrum of technology-regulated sports.
Read next: Need For A Sports Psychologist
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