The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Technology

There’s a chip in my ‘Strawberries and Cream’

June 29th, 2005

People say that the Wimbledon Championships have not changed since 1877, not to the lay man anyways. Listed below are a set of technologies being used around the Wimbledon tennis courts this fortnight.
- Wired and wireless IP phones are used by the organizers that help keep walkie talkie radio waves free and the grounds clear of unnecessary cabling.
- Security personnel carry wireless internet enabled hand-held computers on which they can watch the games, helping with the exact timing at which they can usher in spectators.
- A shot tracker called Hawk-eye is used by broadcasters to replay critical umpire calls. This technology creates a 3-D image of every rally played.
- Along with the mountain of match data collected, shot tracker helps coaches and players study further into the players’ performance.
- The IBM website gives real-time scores of the matches in progress. There are 3 massive internet farms hosting the Wimbledon website.
Luckily, we did not have the Hawk-eye during John McEnroe’s career; he would really have had nothing to scream about and let’s face it, his tantrums were entertaining.