As the world’s attention turns to Rio de Janeiro, Omega has assumed its duties, for the 27th time, as the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games — sending around 480 tonnes of equipment, miles and miles of cabling and 450 timekeepers in order to serve the dedicated athletes who are competing on one of the biggest stages of their lives.
The starting block.
As athletes become faster and stronger, Omega has also advanced its own strengths and abilities in the world of timekeeping. Three technologies in particular have seen a great evolution — starting pistol, photo finish camera and photoelectric timing.
Electronic starting pistol.
The problem with the original design of the starting pistol was that sound travels slower than light. That meant the racer closest to the pistol had a slight advantage because they would hear the start signal a fraction of a second before everyone else. And the racer furthest from the pistol would be at the greatest disadvantage. This is a big issue when every millisecond counts. Today, the iconic start pistol is fully electronic and is composed of a flash gun and a sound generation box. It is connected to speakers positioned behind each racer so that everyone hears the start signal at exactly the same time. When the starter presses its trigger, three things happen simultaneously: a sound is “played”, a light flash is emitted and a start pulse is given to the timing device.
This year, Omega has advanced the capabilities of the photo finish camera with the debut of the Scan ‘O’ Vision Myria. It is the combination of a time detector and a chronograph and can take up to 10,000 digital images per second using a high-tech image-capture device. Improved light sensitivity means that the quality of images is about four times better than previous versions of the photo finish camera and thanks to its compact size it takes less time to assemble and disassemble.
For the photoelectric timing, Omega has introduced the next generation of photocells in athletics. While two cells have previously been used on each finish line, this has now increased to four, all integrated into one unit, and positioned on the finish line of the athletics events. This addition means that more body patterns are able to be detected as an athlete crosses the line and the accuracy is therefore improved in the final moment of the race.
Other innovations introduced by Omega at the Rio Games include the new and improved hi-resolution scoreboards; new software for the false start detection system; new golf scoreboards equipped with radar measurement systems; and the new archery targeting system with a built-in scanner.
Omega has been the official Olympic Games timekeeper when all events were timed with just 30 stopwatches. Today, it is a very different undertaking, requiring tonnes of equipment and a huge team of highly-trained timekeepers and skilled volunteers.
The Scan ‘O’ Vision Myria.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.