Olympic timing technology has come a long means in the last century . And give thanks good , as we ’ve seen progressively more races that have come down to not just the conducting wire , but the itty - bitty cosmic string that make up the wire . Take 2008 , when bather Michael Phelps eat up one - 100th of a 2nd before rival Milorad Cavic . The digital evidence taken from a tv camera transcription 100 frame a second was capable to sustain that Phelps won the gold by that slimmest of margins [ source : iW ] .
In other words , the days of simple stopwatches at the Olympics are long break . Today you ’ll see a selection of high - tech timekeeping gimmick including high - speeddigital photographic camera , electronic touch pads , infrared beams and wireless transmitters , just to name a few .
good manners of all that advanced timing technology , Olympic athletes can be measure out at one - one-millionth of a 2nd , or a microsecond – and note that it takes 300 to 400 microsecond for an eye to twinkle [ source : Lohr ] . Thanks to teeny variation in tracks and syndicate , however , event may only be time to one - centesimal of a 2d ( swimming ) or one - one-thousandth of a second ( track cycling ) [ source : Park ] . )
Such truth command first - rate technology , and as of 2024 , only one ship’s company can boast a 100 years ofcontractingas the official horologe of the Olympics : Omega . ( Seiko has also held the title a handful of times . ) This deed of conveyance signify the ship’s company provides technology and personnel for the timing of hundreds of upshot during the biennial contention . Because we ’re talking C of outcome , we can only look at how Olympic official time a handful of the really boastful ones in this clause . We ’ll also check out the mechanics of ascertain split - second wins and false starting , as well as methods of instant marking .
1 - 2 - 3 , go !
Sport by Sport: Track/Athletics
As you ’re no doubt cognisant , the Olympic Games are held every two years , alternating between summer and wintertime athletic events . Because of the distinction between these events – from distance consideration to weather concern – the timing engineering can vary greatly from athletics to sport . Let ’s set forth with summer competitor .
Track/Athletics
Insprint raceslike the 100 - meter bolt , which can last less than 10 seconds , timing is of the essence . Therefore , every aspect of timekeeping is electronic , even the start gun . And the starting " gun " is less pistol - the likes of than ever , since security is understandably squeamish about weapons at Olympic events . Although it may expect like a recording label maker , this set about gun is connected to speakers equidistant from every runner , to prevent a closer runner from hearing the starting accelerator even a millisecond before a runner farther from the grease-gun . But no fear – the sound still mimic a shooting iron [ seed : Lecher ] . It ’s also integrated with the timing organization to avoid discrepancy .
At the other end of the wash , alaseris project from one last of the finish line to the other , where a light sensor , also love as aphotoelectric cellor electric eye , receives the beam . It make by get the two pic cell ( set at unlike heights to invalidate only recording an arm movement ) align with the finish line . As a runner crosses the job , the beam is hinder , and the electric eye sends a signal to the timing console to record the runner ’s time .
One serious improvement to Olympian timing applied science that ’s used in many case is the Scan’O’Vision tv camera . It records that " photo ending " we hunger at a competitive Olympics . Unlike the old film tv camera , these use digital recording technology . They scan an range through a thin dent up to 2,000 times a 2d [ origin : Z ] . When the lead sharpness of each runner ’s trunk queer the line , the camera ship an electrical signal to the timing console to read the clock time . The timing console sends the times to the Book of Judges ' cabinet and an electronic scoreboard . The images themselves are sent to a computer , which synchronizes them with the fourth dimension clock and lays them side by side on a horizontal sentence ordered series , imprint a terminated image . The computer also draw a erect cursor down the leading edge of each runner ’s torso at the time the finish phone line was crossed . Thiscomposite imagecan then be broadcast on a digital display within 15 seconds of the race ’s goal to serve make a decision on a close finis { informant : Omega ] .
In longer races , such as the endurance contest , the clock also starts with an electric throttle . However , the enceinte number of competitor makes it impossible for all the moon-curser to leave the start short letter simultaneously , and dozens of runners can interbreed the finish line at a time . Because of these consideration , battle of Marathon require a more single arrangement of timing –radio - frequency identification ( RFID ) rag .
Look at each blue runner ’s horseshoe and you ’ll see a smallRFIDtransponder attached to it , sending out aunique radio frequency . Have you ever notice the mat that stretches over the starting line at a marathon ? It arrest loops of copper telegram that officiate as an feeler , pick up each moon-curser ’s signaling and institutionalize the designation codification and start time to the timing console . Mats cut across each runner ’s progress every 3.1 miles ( 5 kilometer ) , automatically expose the good times on the scoreboard . Another matte ride at the finish line and records each runner ’s finish time . Officials then compare each competitor ’s prison term with the time clock , which is initiated by the start gun .
Big marathons like Boston , New York City and Los Angeles also employ this technology , provided by companies such as Texas Instruments . It should be interesting to see whether the Olympian battle of Marathon or other suitable events ever adopt under the tegument RFID technology or another form of wearable .
Sport By Sport: Cycling and Aquatics
Cycling
Because cycling outcome face timing challenge interchangeable to that of marathons , the engineering is much the same .
RFID tag , impound to eachbicycleframe , emit an identification code to antenna placed at the start line , finish line and along the road . These antennas register each rider ’s sentence and send it to the timing console table for comparison . high-pitched - swiftness photograph - finish television camera are set up at the finish line of business , let in above the track , to furnish a time - sequence visual record of the winner , include a erect pointer delineating the front bound of each rider ’s tyre , to be used in compositor’s case of a near finish .
Aquatics
Similar to the scant - space track issue , each natator ’s starting block has an attached speaker to announce the energizing of the clock by the timing functionary , or starter . In an event like the relay , the swimmer in the piss must " tag " the next mate by pressing on a touch dental plate place on the pool wall . The contact plates are made of slender tons of polyvinyl chloride ( PVC ) and horizontal strips that register focused pressure ( as from a bather ’s bridge player ) but not dispersed pressure ( as from waves in the puddle ) . As little as 3.3 Irish pound ( 1.5 kilograms ) of force is call for to activate the pad ; a wave might record as 2.2 pounds ( 1 kilogram ) [ source : Park ] . When the pad is activated , a sign is sent to the timing reckoner to memorialise the first swimmer ’s time , announce the start of the second swimmer ’s clip and cover the time to the scoreboard .
The physical process works the same for the case-by-case events such as breaststroke , freestyle and backstroke , during which the bather registers his or her time by press on the inter-group communication plate at the destruction of the run . Aquatics also use photo - finish technology similar to dog result , recording an image of the finish at 100 shape per second . ( That was the camera that came in so ready to hand in Michael Phelps ' 2008 profits . ) .
Another technology that debuted during the 2012 London Olympics was the Open Water Gate for the swimming marathon . ( Are n’t you trite just recall about it ? ) antecedently , meter were just give at the startle and stop of the slipstream . But now swimmers wear wrist transponders that respond to gate along the raceway , give way times and mensuration as the marathon occurs . There ’s also the picture - finish technology at the end of the race , so evaluator can determine a winner when a transponder give times too close to call [ source : Swatch ] .
Sport by Sport: Winter Games
Sledding
Because Olympic going competition move around at speeds up to 90 miles per hour ( 145 kilometer per hour ) , they make headway by some of the narrow margins . When accuracy to the one-thousandth of a second or better is cardinal , and timing equipment has to hold out temperature as low as negative 30 level Fahrenheit ( minus 34 degree C ) , special engineering science is required .
The track is fit with multipleinfrared emitters and receivers , which charge the sentence to a fundamental computer each prison term a beam is break dance . Laser technology , while good in the track environment , was replaced by infrared beams for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City after research bring out that fall snow often tripped the laser beam and frost clouded the electric eye , reducing accuracy .
Speed Skating
The timing engineering for speedskatinggot a technological boost for the 2014 Sochi Olympics . Skaters bust lightweight transponder on their legs that can immortalise their times and rankings in substantial time during the race [ informant : Omega ] . The clock is activate by the start gun that first appeared in the Vancouver 2010 Games , and the tip of the jock ’s skate will trip the picture cell to cease the time . But because speed skater get to upper up to 30 mile per hour ( 48 kph ) , and a skater can win by as trivial as the peak of a boot , two slit video cameras scan the finis melodic line , clock time - emboss each image at 2,000 material body per indorsement and sending the stark epitome to the judge to help determine the winners in case of a pic finish [ source : The Olympic Games ] .
Skiing
Downhill skiing competitors begin their races at jump William Henry Gates , with Snowgate start gate introduced in Vancouver . The gate has a wand or bar that only utter a starting pulse when it ’s at an equal angle for every skier . The timing take off the 2nd they split through the cake , which let them a little margin for their initial pushing [ source : Omega ] . As with the sled events , an infrared radio beam is tripped at the finish line to discontinue the clock .
Keeping It Real
Although many time are only published to the one percent of a 2nd , Olympian timing standards want that timekeeping be accurate to themillisecond . With such a minor gross profit of error , timepiece must design for the bad . Twenty - first century technology , however , can give a time that ’s way more accurate than a msec .
Quantum Timerand Aquatic Quantum Timer –Introduced during the 2012 London Olympic Games , the Quantum Timer increase the resoluteness of enter time to one - one-millionth of a sec , which is 100 times more exact than the previous applied science . It also showcases a precision of 0.1 parts per million . The preciseness measures the repeat reliability of the measurement , so this means that there is a maximum tolerance of 1 second per 10 million seconds . In other words : It has to be not just accurate , but accurate every time . Another cool part of the Quantum Timers is that they have 16 independent clocks , so each runner or swimmer in a subspecies can have entropy at the same time shown on scoreboards or television screenland .
off-key - start fail - safes– Because many jock " jump the gunslinger , " timekeepers must also be referee of a sort to keep the accuracy of contender ' wads . scientist have measured that an mediocre human takes one - tenth of a second to respond to a stimulation , such as the start gunman . In the Olympics , the clock blockade if an athlete starts preferably than a tenth of a second after the signal is given , because this means he or she set about to " react " before the gun was give notice .
Often , the competitor who started untimely is unfit . In aquatic relay event , reaction time is analyse not only at the start of the slipstream but also as each natator " tag end " his or her teammate ( in this type , the touch pad ) . scientist work out out it take 27/1000 of a moment for a foot to undress off the block . They make up one’s mind that any start less than 0.04 seconds after a teammate tags the paries is a false get-go [ generator : Park ] .
In plus , the starting blocks used in both lead andswimmingevents haveelectronic press home base . introduce in London 2012 , these blocks contained a pregnant furtherance : They no longer practice movement to measure a runner ’s false start . They now measure violence against the block , which is supposedly more accurate [ generator : Swatch Group ] .
Because the official Olympic timekeeper allow heavily redundant systems and multiple timing equipment with both numerical and visual datum , timing disputes are normally resolved quickly by analysis . However , when a valid complaint is made , this almost always leads to enquiry and advancement of the survive timing technology . For example , after Silke Kraushaar ’s gold - decoration luge profits in 1998 , it was get a line that the photoelectrical sensors had a margin of misplay of on the nose two milliseconds – the span of time Kraushaar acquire by . In reaction to concerns about the system of rules ’s truth , then - U.S. Olympic Committee Principal Engineer Tom Westenburg developed the in high spirits - intonation , triply - redundant system of rules in current manipulation , which is precise to less than half a millisecond [ source : Leo ] .
Olympic Timing History
Although thehistory of the Olympic Gamesstretches back as far as 776 B.C.E. , the history of Olympian timing engineering lead off just over 100 years ago . These are the major find :
For more information on Olympian timing engineering science and related topics , check out the link on the next page .
