NHL ice hockey league uses Apple Watch for referees
As part of an official cooperation, Apple is equipping NHL referees with computer watches. A special app has also been developed.
NHL referee with Apple Watch: own app developed for the game.
(Image: NHL)
Apple regularly receives praise in test reports for the high accuracy of its sports sensors in the Apple Watch –, even though the computer watch is not intended for professional athletes. Nevertheless, the second professional league of a sport has now decided to use the Watch in competitions: After the World Surf League in 2023, the US ice hockey league NHL is now joining in. This is reported by the IT blog The Verge.
Haptic information on the course of games
According to the information, however, it is not the players themselves but the referees who receive the computer watches. A specially developed application called NHL Watch Comms is intended to help keep them constantly up to date with the latest data during a game. This includes the app displaying the current game time, haptic notifications when a player leaves the penalty box after a foul or when a period is about to end. The timers even receive different haptic announcements so that the referees don't have to look at their watches.
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The clocks come directly from the NHL, so they do not have to be purchased by the referees. They are the latest models: either an Apple Watch Ultra (2) or an Apple Watch Series 10. The computer watches are also connected to the so-called Oasis feed, a cloud system that monitors game actions, game telemetry and other information, including information on individual players. All referees should always be up to date.
It's all about "situational awareness"
The NHL has been using Apple technology for several years, with iPads being used in the game since 2017, as well as Macs. The individual teams also use them to analyze games directly on site, for example. "We wanted to make sure that the officials are really well informed and can keep an eye on the game," says Andres de Corral from Presidio, the company that developed the watchOS app.
The haptic feedback therefore helps to keep the referees in the game. The aim is to ensure that there is always "situational awareness" – is particularly important in such a fast-paced game. The referees can therefore rarely look at the clock – or at the video display with the match time.
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