A PICTURE of the hi-tech World Cup 2022 footballs being CHARGED before kick-off has left fans baffled.
The Adidas ball has a sensor inside that measures data such as speed and direction and allows for ball-tracking and offside calls by the VAR.
A photo uploaded to Reddit revealed the fluro-coloured balls being charged, like a mobile phone, from a power board before a match.
One fan said: “Does it need an app to roll?”
Another added: “Headline in the future: Balls uncharged, Championship match postponed.”
One wrote: “I’m getting old, I remember when we used to put air in those.”
The sensor is powered by a small battery, which can last for six hours of active use, or up to 18 days when not.
The sensor weighs only 14 grams and gives ball-tracking during the game with cameras positioned around the pitch helping referees to determine offsides and other decisions.
Maximillian Schmidt, co-founder and managing director of KINEXON, who manufactured the sensor, opened up on how it works.
Schmidt said: “Any time the ball is kicked, headed, thrown or even so much as tapped, the system picks it up at 500 frames per second.
“Data is sent in real time from sensors to a local positioning system (LPS), which involves a setup of network antennas installed around the playing field that take in and store the data for immediate use.
“When a ball flies out of bounds during the course of play, and a new ball is thrown or kicked in to replace it, KINEXON’s backend system automatically switches to the new ball’s data input without the need for human intervention.”
The Adidas was created to be lightning fast, something England’s Kieran Trippier said has been a struggling for set-pieces.
Trippier said: “Every time I’ve crossed the ball I’ve felt the balls are a bit different but there are no excuses really.
“I would just say the balls are a bit different, but it is not the heat or anything. I feel it’s a bit lighter.
“It feels if you put too much power on it it’ll just fly away.”
