The Qatar World Cup 2022 It is the most technological in history, no one doubts that. From stadiums that guarantee a cool climate against the heat of the desert, to the semi-automation of offsides. But also the official ball, designed by Adidas, is listed among the advances.
Al Rihla has an internal sensor that informs if the ball goes into a goal, or if someone touches it before an action. we already saw how Adidas confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo did not touch it in a goal action from Portugal against Uruguay, for the “absence of beats” that implied the lack of touch.
We’ve all seen how balloons inflate, but have you ever seen how they charge up with energy? On twitter, the user seba He uploaded a photo with Al Rihla receiving his load.
Adidas explains that Al Rihla provides, with that internal sensor, precise ball data, available to VAR officials in real time.
Combined with player position data and through the application of Artificial Intelligence, the ball contributes to semi-automatic offside which was established in Qatar 2022.
This is the interior of the Adidas Al Rihla ball, used in the Qatar 2022 World Cup
The German company showed how, inside the ball, The suspension system houses and stabilizes a 500Hz Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) motion sensor. This serves to provide unprecedented insight into every element of the ball’s movement, Adidas notes.
This technology was developed in collaboration with FIFA and KINEXON, a company that is an expert in next-generation sensor networks and edge computing.
The ball automatically provides very precise information, 500 times per second, about when a player touched the ball.
Johannes Holzmüller, director of football, technology and 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.”
The new times, technology at the service of football.