False Start Detection System
In a 100m dash, a false start could be the difference between gold and silver. In the past, a human might evaluate whether an athlete “jumped the gun,” but Omega has built sensors into the starting blocks to measure the force against the footrest 4,000 times per second.In the past, an actual pistol was used to start races. But the speed of sound is slow enough to give an unfair advantage to the athlete closest to the gun. The starting pistol has evolved into a piece of futuristically-styled electronics.
When the starter fires the “pistol,” three things happen simultaneously: 1) a visible strobe is fired on the top of the unit, 2) a start pulse starts the timing device, and 3) an audible start sound is triggered to play on a speaker at the back of each starting block ensuring that each athlete hears the start simultaneously.