The offside rule in soccer still defeats most mortals—including match
officials. Soccer referees can be fooled by parallax, as players dash into illegal positions
(New Scientist, 4 March, p 8). So Norwegian inventor
Kjell Hattland suggests in WO 99/47217 that assistant referees take more
responsibility for offside decisions. A line of light sources along one side of
each half of the pitch, are shielded so tightly they are only visible from a
narrow angle. This helps the official keep level with players, giving an instant
fix on the players’ position.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Technology
Why full-fledged quantum computers might always be five years away
Comment
Technology
Quantum computers are starting to become useful as scientific tools
News
Technology
OpenAI’s hacking agent went rogue. Should we be worried?
News
Technology
China is trying to regulate relationships with AI – can it work?
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles