The whole world is waiting to see the final game - a tussle between Argentina and Germany. There is no better time than now to focus on how technologically advanced this year's World Cup is. Is it different from what the game was in 2010? The world has progressed in every aspect in these four years. It is not surprising that in this digital age, we invariably expect a technologically advanced game much improved from the previous ones. The 2014 Brazil World Cup lives up to that expectation. It is the most scientifically advanced football tournament the world has ever experienced.
Everything, starting from the kits of the players to the goal line, has changed drastically to deliver the best experience to the players and the audiences. You must have noticed the referee taking out a spray can from his holster and drawing a circle around the ball and also a line within ten yards from the circle when a foul is committed. The players, line up for the free kick following that. But have you noticed the line vanished within moments?
The water-based substance that is used to create the foam disappears from the turf within a short while. Armed with this can of vanishing foam, referees can line the players properly. The technology has already been used in last year summer in the Under-20 World Cup. However, this is the first time it has been implemented in the FIFA Soccer World Cup game. This is only a small change to begin with. Let's see some of the other interesting changes that we are witnessing in this year's World Cup for the first time:
Goal line
The followers of club football are accustomed with the goal-line technology and will recognize it easily. The new automated goal-line technology tracks the position of the ball and determines whether a goal has been scored or not. The goal-line technology is being supplied by a German company. They use high-speed cameras to detect actions of the match closely. As many as 14 high-speed cameras mounted around the stadium together follow the path of the ball and detect when it crosses the goal line. If the ball crosses the line, the word goal will appear on the referee's watch. Hope this technology will help to get rid of the controversies related to the ghost goals.
Boots
The boots are the most essential parts of the footballers' attire. In the last few decades, the players' shoes have changed completely. The footballers no longer wear a chunky footwear. Rather, they prefer to wear sleek boots packed with latest technologies that will help in their movement.
For example, Adidas unveiled its new boots for the Brazil World Cup 2014. They have used synthetic materials instead of the usual kangaroo leather to give the players an improved grip of the ball. So that they can be more comfortable with dribbling. In fact, all the manufacturers are trying to make the players' boots feel just like socks. Added studs of the new boots offer stability to the heel and give the players more grip while they are taking a critical stride.
World Cup kits
The world cup has given its first cooling break in this tournament, when the Netherlands and Mexico knockout match was on. Excessive heat forced the players to take this cooling break. However, there is no hint that the climate condition will be better any time soon. The players and the fans will be fully burnt in this heat until the tournament is over. The kit manufacturers seemed to know the situation will be like this from before. They have designed this year's World Cup jerseys in such a fashion that the players can remain cool. The garments are made of polyester with just only 6 per cent cotton that will allow maximum air flow.
Real-time data
At the Brazil World Cup, real time data has been pouring on and off the field. During a match, we can exactly find out how many miles a player runs and the speed at which he covers the distance. It is also possible to track the ball location and possession. It is surprising how all the data are collected? There is no chip or sensor attached with the player to fetch the stats, then how is it done?
It is totally optical. Three computer vision cameras identify the objects and do all the work of tracking data. The players are completely unaware of such a system keeping an eye on them.
The greatest innovations are not only for the players. The fans are also benefitted from these advances.
Social networks
Now, the World Cup is no doubt the most talked about event on different social networks. It has generated more than a billion interactions, making it one of the most significant events in the history of Facebook. The World Cup players have also contributed to this hype. They have shared posts, which gave rise to likes, shares and conversations dwarfing all the other existing posts in different social media sites.
As every time zone of the earth woke up to the start of 2014 Brazil World Cup game, the tweets began pouring at full speed. What is amazing about the twitter this time is that the fans can support their favorite teams just putting a hashtag before the three letter code of the team's name at the time of tweeting. As the number of goals is increasing, so is the number of tweets. Wait until the tournament is over. All the social media records will be completely broken by then.
Apps
When the World Cup is on, a football freak does not like to miss a single goal, pass, tackle, save, or penalty. Wherever you are, just bring out the smartphone from your pocket and check the World Cup apps available in its store. The free official World Cup FIFA app is a great place to begin with. Millions of football fans around the world must be already using their mobile apps to stream live matches or see the highlights of the game.
Connectivity
If you are lucky enough to make it to the stadium, the upgraded telecom services of Brazil will amaze you. Share the experiences of the moment with your social media friends using the Wi-Fi and 4G connections while relishing the game.
We can simply conclude from these trends that this is the first ever truly digital FIFA World Cup.