Casting Doubt On the Hawkeye Ball-Calling System 220
Human judgment by referees is increasingly being supplemented (and sometimes overridden) by computerized observation systems. nuke-alwin writes "It is obvious that any model is only as accurate as the data in it, and technologies such as Hawkeye can never remove all doubt about the position of a ball. Wimbledon appears to accept the Hawkeye prediction as absolute, but researchers at Cardiff University will soon publish a paper disputing the accuracy of the system."
The only solution (Score:5, Funny)
And ultra-accurate GPS like system that tracks the position of balls in nanosecond detail. They can call it Your Object Universal Remote Movement Observance Mechanism, or YOUR MOM for short.
Why not, it works for shopping carts (Score:2, Funny)
If you leave the store parking lot, one of the wheels locks.
Re:Why not, it works for shopping carts (Score:4, Funny)
So if one of the players tries to steal a tennis ball, they won't get very far?
Re:Other applications? (Score:2, Funny)
You're a guy reading slashdot by yourself on a saturday night. It doesn't take any special technology to know the answer to that question.
Re:Why not, it works for shopping carts (Score:0, Funny)
Don't worry, tennis is probably the only sport not full of blacks. No one will be stealing anything for a while.
Re:Why not, it works for shopping carts (Score:3, Funny)
Unfortunately, for my local supermarket, "leaving the store parking lot" is defined as entering the store.
Re:Why not use... LASERS! (Score:1, Funny)
Just put high-powered lasers firing down the lines. If the ball is melted slag, it was out.
Re:Call the ball Maverick (Score:3, Funny)
Army brat, myself, but my first thought on reading the headline was along similar lines.
I couldn't for the life of me think of a reason why a Hawkeye [wikipedia.org] would need a system to call the ball when every other pilot in the Navy has to do it with the ol' Mk. 1 Eyeball.
Re:Why not use... LASERS! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Other applications? (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, some people also want to use Hawkeye for some decisions in cricket, the sport that first used it. However the margin of error is far greater (approximately +- 2 inches) in cricket as the cameras have to be a lot further away due to the size of the pitch.
Also Hawkeye finds it hard to pick up swinging, seaming and spinning balls. Basically anything that deviates off its theoretical trajectory either in the air or off the playing surface. Both of which are vital in the LBW decisions where the TV companies and doubtless the Hawkeye people would want to see it used.
Obviously cricket is a far more useful game than tennis so does this answer your question?
Re:Why not use... (Score:4, Funny)
"the chalk flew up"
Re:It doesn't have to be perfect (Score:5, Funny)
This assumes there is another method, such as post-analysis of videotape, that can find almost all uncorrected errors or at least give some good indication of the uncorrected error rate.
Another method would be to use Radar instead of Hawkeye. Probably faster and more efficient as well.
(obscure reference).
Re:Why not, it works for shopping carts (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Why not use... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:It doesn't have to be perfect (Score:3, Funny)
In the event of a tie between the two systems, perhaps a Honeycut system to break the tie.
O RLY? (Score:4, Funny)
You Pierce me with your wit! It Burns! When you finally drag out your Winchester and kill me, you'll have to bury me in a field fit for a Potter because I can't afford anything better.
You cannot be serious! (Score:3, Funny)
That ball was on the line!