Adidas reveal smart FIFA World Cup ball will relay information to officials
Adidas has announced that the official match ball of the FIFA World Cup 2022 will feature new connected ball technology.
It will be used to enhance the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system by providing an unprecedented level of data and information to match officials for making faster and more accurate decisions on the biggest stage of all.
Following its reveal in March this year, the Al Rihla ball will be the first World Cup Official Match Ball to feature this innovation, providing precise ball data, which will be made available to Video Match Officials in real-time.
Combined with player position data and by applying artificial intelligence, the innovative connected ball technology contributes to FIFA's semi-automated offside technology and offers Video Assistant Referees instantaneous information to help optimize decision making.
Johannes Holzmüller, Director of Football Technology& Innovation at FIFA, said, "This technology is the culmination of three years of dedicated research and testing by FIFA and our partner adidas to provide the best possible experience for the referees, teams, players and fans who will be heading to Qatar later this year."
A new Adidas Suspension System in the centre of the ball hosts and stabilizes a 500Hz inertial measurement unit (IMU) motion sensor, which provides unprecedented insight into every element of the movement of the ball, while making this technology unnoticeable for players and not affecting its performance whatsoever.
The sensor is powered by a rechargeable battery, which can be charged by induction. Video officials will be able to review live data for the first time by automatically providing very accurate information, 500 times per second, on when a player has touched the ball.
The tournament gets underway on 21 November.
