Gizmodo: Painted lines? Where we're going we don't need any painted lines. We'll have reconfigurable LED lines, because this is the future we're talking about, and those little lights are almost cheap enough to use everywhere, including beneath our sneakered feet.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Meet the LED Volleyball-Basketball-Tennis Court of the Future
Gizmodo: Painted lines? Where we're going we don't need any painted lines. We'll have reconfigurable LED lines, because this is the future we're talking about, and those little lights are almost cheap enough to use everywhere, including beneath our sneakered feet.
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9 comments:
Interesting concept! LEDs are everywhere now anyway. Yes LEDs are cheap as the article states, but that varies depending on the brand. However it could be a very expensive project, especially for implementing in high schools. The most significant element in this would be ensuring that they are installed correctly and that they don't change the surface levels of the courts, especially in tennis and basketball where the ball bounces on the courts. As the article states having the option of certain lines being visible and others not depending on the sport is a huge advantage. In addition LEDs have a fairly good lifeline and once they are powerful enough LEDs they will be impactful. However the biggest disadvantage could occur when the strips have to be changed, but then again that is just like having to paint over lines. Again it is an interesting concept, however as a tennis fan, I am a bit biased, I love the white lines!
I am all for progress and technology but this is taking things a little far. With every new technology there is always a problem with implementation, maintenance, glitches, and cost to benefit ratio. If this is to be implemented large scale it would have to be universally adopted to keep the home team from having the advantage of playing on that surface. Also as Jamila pointed out the maintenance when a section went bad would be astronomical. With all new technology there is also a problem with software and hardware glitches which could happen at any point. Also these would have exponentially more problems if moved to an outdoor venue. It seems as though the amount of time and energy saved with this technology would be negated by the technological problems that would come with this system as it aged. However if it could also register where the ball hit and could call a game that would be more interesting though not overly helpful in making it more cost effective.
Call me old-fashioned, but even as an incredibly unathletic fifth grader, I knew what each painted line meant on the gym floor, and which ones were relevant to the game we were playing. I guess I just don't see the overwhelming benefit to having LED court lines where the traditional ones have worked for hundreds of years. Though, I guess that's what people have said about every great innovation, like the telephone, the computer etc. but to me, it feels as though, at least at this time, that innovators are getting too swept away with the technology to think about the practical applications of it.
I don't how well this will catch on in high schools. Maybe private schools, but I don't think taxpayers would like their money going toward renovating every high school gym to be "less confusing". Kids have managed for years with the color coded painted lines. Maybe the new buildings will try this new idea. I wonder if this company has a cost effective system for installing the lights in already existing gyms. Would they have to tear the floor up? Or even replace it to get rid of all the already existing painted lines? I do think it's a good idea though. I forwarded it to my sister. She plays basketball.
I like the idea of having a reconfigurable space in the floor that can be lit by LED's however you want. I am curious how they will hold up to being walked on regularly. I think this concept can be applied to what we do in the rehearsal rooms. It would be awesome if you could somehow feed a groundplan into the floor and have the lines light up without having to tape anything out. This could be very helpful in rooms with many different shows rehearsing in there, or even shows that want to save on tape and hassle. I don't know how soon it will be till this catches on for us, but I greatly look forward to it.
It would be interesting to explore possible solutions for a display floor outside of sports. I agree with many of the previous posters who have raised issues about the quality of the surface and the practicality. However, there must be other ways to use such a floor beyond moving lines around. Obviously the technology has implications for the performing arts (particularly the concert industry, but others as well). Having a floor that can change color and pattern on demand may be an awesome new tool for designers. On other potential issue with the technology is making sure that it won't get washed out with the harsh light used in gyms.
Normally I think that technology like this is unnecessary, and I'd still say that it is, but it does make playing sports in school a little bit easier. In being able to use only the lines needed for a particular sport, it might not be so confusing as to which lines you can and cannot be on. It also allows for quick changeovers in between sports. Then again, painted lines have been used for 50+ years in school and we've been doing just fine.
I don't see why this is necessary, but it is a fairly interesting concept. I'm not certain that erasable sports lines will ever be anything more than a frivolous luxury, however, I enjoyed the article because it got me thinking about what the future truly holds. Everything is moving towards being technologically based. The fact that we are able to create things that change upon command says something about the types of intelligent design that will emerge within the next decade. It is an exciting yet daunting time. Humanity will be dealing with something to a new extent. It will be interesting to see how new developments, frivolous or otherwise, effect society and ultimately change the way we live our lives as human beings.
This is a super exciting concept for those of us who play a sport such as volleyball where you need to know where the lines are based on your perception of where you are on the court and what you can see out of the corner of your eye. Often the extra lines that are on a floor can cause one to misjudge a ball but with this there will be no more of that confusion. My only fear with this is with a sport such as volleyball where one slides along the floor in attempt to keep balls in play is that if the lights are not exactly flush with the rest of the floor it could cause injuries.
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