Last season, football fans in England and those following the Premier League were pulling their hair out over the VAR system and incorrect offside decisions. The English Football Association is replacing the highly controversial offside detection system with a new system supported by iPhones. Here are the details…
VAR to Work with Apple iPhones for Offside Detection in England!
The English Premier League is set to undergo a revolutionary change in the 2024-25 season. The league is preparing to replace the controversial VAR system with a new technology based on iPhones. This new system, called “Dragon,” has been developed by Genius Sports and Second Spectrum and will be used in all matches in the upcoming season.
The Dragon system will utilize at least 28 iPhone 14 or newer model smartphones placed around the pitch. These phones will be equipped with special waterproof cases and cooling fans. The cameras on the phones will capture high-frame-rate videos from multiple angles, helping to eliminate incorrect decisions.
The new technology will track between 7,000 and 10,000 data points on each player on the field, meaning it will be able to analyze details such as body contours, muscle mass, and skeletal structure. The system will be capable of capturing up to 100 frames per second, allowing for more accurate detection of the moment the ball is struck.
Dragon’s AI-powered software will process the collected visual data to detect offside situations. However, the final decision will still rest with human referees. In addition to offside detection, the system could be used for digital twin technology in the future.
Football fans are eagerly waiting to see if this new technology can put an end to the controversies caused by VAR. This move by the Premier League could mark the beginning of a new era in sports technology. It will be interesting to see if other leagues will also opt to use such smart devices in the future.
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