Rugby Ball Meets Web-Cam

comcn writes "What do you get when you cross a rugby ball with a web-cam? The BBC have an article about a polytechnic in New Zealand that is in the process of creating a camera that is small and light enough to fit inside a rugby ball. Boy, are you going to get a headache when watching rugby on TV now."

Comments

This is great

[DNAspark99]

but the colon cam is better

Wait a minute...

[hyyx]

I know this may be the first time that someone has sucessfully installed a video camera inside a rugby ball, but haven't video cameras that are miniature, lightweight, and durable been around for SOME time now? What about football (American) helmet cams? Do a search anywhere for miniature video cameras. It just doesn't seem like that great of a technological feat...

More links

[comcn]

Since posting the story, I've found a better link to the Otago Daily Times. The story there has a rather good picture of the ball with the camera in it.

Also, here's a link to the Otago Polytechnic.

Re:If you didnt know

[jimlintott]

Here in Canada many high schools have both Rugby and Football teams. I know many who played on both teams and to a man they all agree that football is the more dangerous of the two. Blocking, tackling at the knees or from behind are normal in football and forbidden in rugby.

Rugby is a very cool game. Rugby players are a very tough bunch of blokes, of that I have no doubt. But without equipment who would dive head first into someone's knees?

blocking/knee tacklin happen all the time in Rugby

[DABANSHEE]

League

Yep there are no rules against that sort of thing in Rugby League

& Rugby League players cope ok without helmets, padding or ballet tights.

You're talking about Rugby Union, AKA 'rugby', which is altogether a different game to Rugby League, AKA 'league'.

League is quite different with much of the rucking 'n mauling replaced by tackles 'n 'play-the-balls'

'League' is pretty big in Northern England, the East coast of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand's North Island & some of the older industrial towns of France. Although no where near as big as Union.

Also 'League' probably translates better to the small screen than any other football code

Football (Soccer), American Football, & Aussie Rules are great games to watch live, but they don't really translate well to the small screen (the games are too spread out). For example take the srimmaging & forward pass of American Football, which don't work well at all on telly (too much going on all over the place).

Where-as 'league' is perfect for telly - the camera just has to follow the ball to get all the action of almost continued 3 on 1 tackles.

Check this game here (Windows Media Player + broadband, unless you want a postage stamp size screen).

Yes you can now watch both Rugby League Test Internationals & 1st grade Club Rugby League on the web.

Information for Americans

[innit]

Here is some information on Rugby for our American viewers. It's basically like your version of "football", except with a number of differences:

• The players don't wear massive amounts of padding like the poofters that play American football do
• There's none of this "having a rest every 5 minutes" rubbish. It's constant action from start to finish
• No helmet is used by the players. Instead they use insultating tape to stick their ears to their heads to prevent them from getting ripped off
• It's played in wet, muddy fields, not on specially treated multicoloured tarmac with dedicated areas laid out for cheerleaders
• The commentators aren't nearly as irritating, although most of them are Welsh so obviously we're not perfect on that one

There. Now if you could do the same for us every time Thanksgiving/Independance Day/Labour Day comes around, we'd be most awfully grateful.

Bung ho, chaps

Stuii!