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Crossing the Goal Line: New Tech Tracks Football in 3D Space
A new tracking system follows the location of a football in three-dimensional space using low-frequency magnetic fields.
Credit: David Ricketts
Researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Carnegie Mellon University have developed a system that can track a football in three-dimensional space using low-frequency magnetic fields.
The technology could be useful for situations when the ball is blocked from view, or for helping viewers follow the ball during games with low visibility.
"Low-frequency magnetic fields don't interact very strongly with the human body, so they are not affected by the players on the field or the stadium environment," says NCSU professor David Ricketts.
The researchers developed a low-frequency transmitter that is integrated into a football, and it is within the standard deviation of accepted professional football weights. However, when low-frequency magnetic fields come in contact with the ground, it absorbs the magnetic field and re-emits it; this secondary field interacts with the original field and throws off the tracking system's accuracy.
"We're still fine-tuning the system, but our goal is to get the precision down to half the length of a football, which is the estimated margin of error for establishing the placement of the football using eyesight alone," Ricketts says.
From NCSU News
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