The Adidas Smart Ball could soon be seen in top flight football.

The Adidas sponsored Smart Ball features a chip which is suspended in the middle of the ball which sends a radio signal to the referee’s watch in less than a second of the ball crossing the goal line. The Smart Ball chip uses ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) technology with an integrated transmitter and has been developed by Adidas with the Fraunhofer Institute and Cairos AG. Similar chips have been developed to be inserted into players’ shin guards and football boots. The Smart Ball was due to be seen at last year’s World Cup, but technical difficulties have seen the introduction delayed.

Adidas - FIFA History

Adidas have been making footballs since 1963 and have been in the forefront of new designs and innovations including the Telstar design at the 1970 World Cup, the Tango design, coloured footballs and Thermal Bonding technology. Adidas has been the Official Match Ball supplier to FIFA and UEFA since 1970, and supplies match balls for all the majorFIFA and UEFA tournaments. The relationship will continue for the forthcoming 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.