Every year there are hundreds of competitive canoe-kayak and rowing races across the globe. In the spirit of fairness it’s expected that all athletes comply with the competition rules, including the way of entering the start gates.
A fundamental problem is that the starter judge may be hundred meters away from the start line and the athletes. To overcome such difficulties Polaritas developed a two-part (Start Video and Aligner View) system, which helps the starter judge in clear observation and decision-making.
The Start Video System is the recommended tool for evaluating events at the canoe-kayak and rowing start lines. Using a touch panel computer with a camera
installed at the start line, the Start Video System helps the starter judge in the recognition of any false starts.
Within a few seconds post-start, the starter judge can easily ensure compliance by the instant playback of the recorded start. By using the touch panel, the recording may be played forward or reverse, in slow motion or even frame-by-frame. This allows the starter judge to stop the race if necessary and warn or disqualify the relevant athlete(s).
The recordings are stored on a hard drive, ordered by heat number and marked as a good or false start. The system may also be used in VCR mode, which records the start line events continuously, just like a conventional video recorder.
