The Al Rihla ball incorporates a high-tech sensor, but only six hours of continuous use after each charge.
Pictures of the 2022 World Cup balls that must be charged before the match are posted on Reddit today and attracted 3,000 comments. Each fruit is placed on a black charging dock, most likely wirelessly charging and connecting to a power supply similar to a smartphone. “The way the balls are charged before each game seems disproportionate to the high technology they possess,” one user on Reddit comment.
The AI Rihla ball is being charged outside the field. Image: Gaz1105/Reddit
Al Rihla is the official ball used at the 2022 World Cup with the name meaning “journey” in Arabic. Inside the ball there are sensors to measure highly accurate data such as speed, direction of the ball. They are used in conjunction with VAR and semi-automatic offside detection.
According to Adidas, the sensors use energy from small batteries. Use time is 6 hours continuously at high intensity, or 18 days without use (standby state). The sensor in the ball weighs 14 grams, which is small enough to not affect the ball’s trajectory compared to a regular ball.
The balls are placed on the charging dock. Image: Gaz1105/Reddit
“Whenever the ball is kicked, headed, thrown, or even lightly touched, the system registers a vibration at 500 frames per second,” said Maximillian Schmidt, co-founder and CEO of Kinexon, sensor manufacturing company, said. Data is sent in real-time from the sensor to a local positioning system (LPS) with multiple network antennas installed around the yard for immediate aggregation and use.
In each match, multiple balls are used alternately and Kinexon’s system can recognize this. “When the ball goes out of bounds during the game or is kicked in for a replacement, the Kinexon backend system automatically switches to retrieving data from the new ball without human intervention,” Schmidt analyzed. .
The sensor in the Al Rihla has a weight of 14 grams. Image: Adidas
However, Al Rihla’s design is also controversial as some players claim that it flies faster than the balls used in the past. “Every time I pass, it feels a little bit different. I find it lighter than the ball I usually use in the domestic tournament. The feeling that if you put too much force, it easily flies off the field.” Kieran Trippier, England defender, said.
Adidas does not disclose the price of each ball, but according to some technology sites, users can buy a sensorless version of Al Rihla for $ 160 (3.9 million).
Hoai Anh
