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Articles on Sport technology

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More tech on the way to keep us watching sport live on TV. CCat

New gadgets and gimmicks to keep us watching sport live on TV

Australia’s love of sport appears to be more from in front of a TV screen than actually attending any event live, and that could be on the increase given some of the new technology heading our way. Samsung…
Hawk-eye technology can be used to do more than just check those troublesome line calls in tennis. AAPImage/Lukas Coch

Beyond the line call: how Hawk-Eye can improve performance

The evolution of professional tennis has always been linked to the changing technology of the day. For example, the decline of the wooden racket lead to the whole new power-based style of play we enjoy…
Get in line. Riders keeping out of the wind on the road to Sheffield. Adam Bowie

The science behind Tour de France’s hide-and-seek tactics

When the Tour de France comes to town, it’s a chance to get your gladrags on. This year’s Grand Depart in Yorkshire saw Leeds decked out with yellow flowers, bikes placed in coffee bar windows, statues…
Reigning premiers Hawthorn was the first AFL club to trial the WASP tracking technology – so how does it work? AAP/David Crosling

In the long run: keeping track of athletes with wearable tech

With the AFL season in full swing many of us are glued to our screens marvelling at the speed and tactics of the athletes. Midfielders, such as ex-Cat-now-Sun Gary Ablett Jnr, can run between 12 and 20km…
Austria’s Roman Rabl makes light work of the Sochi slopes. EPA/Vassil Donev

The incredible tech behind Paralympian daredevil stunts

Watching the Paralympics makes us forget about the term “disability” and the idea that sport with a disability is about limitations. The athletes on the slopes and rinks at Sochi are showing us that theirs…
It’s no beach ball. Adam Davy/PA

Hard Evidence: how will the 2014 World Cup ball swerve?

There are now only a few months to go until the biggest sporting event of 2014 – the FIFA World Cup in Brazil – and questions are being asked. Will the stadiums be ready? Are the airports ready for the…
A team of 30 PackBots – one shown here being used in Afghanistan – will boost security in Brazil during the World Cup. The U.S. Army/Flickr (cropped)

War robots and the 2014 World Cup – defenders off the field

High-tech robots called PackBots will be unleashed during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil to help boost security and examine suspicious objects. The Brazilian government purportedly spent US$7.2 million…
Elite sports training is starting earlier and earlier – but is this always a good thing? School sport image from www.shutterstock.com

Do we really need elite sports training in schools?

A short conversation with a parent a number of years ago made me realise the extent of the problems we have in youth sport. This parent wanted advice on how to make his child faster and stronger to ensure…
Australia fell just short in the first Ashes Test. EPA/David Jones

Media misses point on cricket’s Decision Review System

The first Ashes Test was indeed a veritable thriller. England edged Australia by a mere 14 runs, after an absorbing four-and-a-half days of action to go one-up in the best-of-five series. For those not…
Sometimes having no legs is better than having one. EPA/Jonathan Brady

Pistorius shouldn’t be allowed to compete at the Paralympics

There has been a considerable amount of media coverage surrounding South African amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius who competed at the London Olympics and is now competing at the London Paralympics. The…
Oilveira’s come-from-behind victory raises questions about the advantages provided by prosthetic legs. Julian Stratenschulte/EPA

Beaten by a length? Pistorius, Oliveira and Paralympic fairness

In a major upset, Alan Oliveira of Brazil beat Oscar Pistorius to win an extraordinary T43/44 200 metre race today. But did Oliveira have an unfair advantage? The 20-year-old Brazilian finished ahead of…
More than 30 years have passed since the AFL last looked at the specifications and standards for making Australian footballs. puuikibeach

On the ball: does the AFL need to design a better footy?

In the game of Australian Rules Football (as with other football codes), few pieces of equipment are more important than the football itself. And yet the relative attention paid to the ball by the AFL…
When it comes to design and performance, all wheelchairs are not created equally. April Fonti/AAP

Wheelchair technology in the Paralympics … and its spin-offs

Equipment such as wheelchairs or prosthesis is fundamental in allowing some people with disabilities to carry out the tasks of daily living. But in the endeavour to go higher, faster and longer, athletes…
Sprinter Brendan Cole (left) and swimmer Tomasso D'Orsogna enjoy the recovery facilities at the Australian Institute of Sport’s (AIS) Recovery Centre in Canberra. Australian Sports Commission

Australian Olympic athletes – underperforming or underdeveloped?

It’s no secret – Australia underperformed at the 2012 London Olympics. But was the criticism directed at our Olympians unfair on the athletes, coaches, and support staff who worked so hard, and gave up…

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