Eyes in the skies: Could drone tech revolutionize polo?
Published
6:51 AM EDT, Wed April 1, 2015
Link Copied!
A regulation polo field is 300 yards long and 160 yards wide, meaning fans in attendance are often witnessing events from a considerable distance.
Courtesy polocam
Intricate maneuvers and pieces of tactical play can be hard to pick up for those in attendance.
courtesy polocam
Some production companies who specialize in covering polo believe drone cameras could help make the sport more appealing to newcomers and easier to understand.
courtesy polocam
Drones have been trialed in a number of high-profile matches and tournaments in recent years.
courtesy polocam
The lightweight airborne devices have already proven useful in winter sports like ski jumping, providing dramatic angles for television audiences and those watching on big screens at events.
CORNELIUS POPPE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
In rugby, drones have been used to improve player and tactical analysis. Here, the ASM Clermont Auvergne rugby squad take part in a training session as a drone films their every move.
THIERRY ZOCCOLANAFP/GETTY IMAGES
A birds-eye view captured from a GoPro camera attached to a drone of the Dongfeng Race Team as they compete in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race.
Getty Images
Drones haven't always had the most positive impact on sport. A World Cup qualifier between Serbia and Albania was abandoned in late 2014 after a device carrying a flag emblazoned with Albanian symbols appeared over the stadium. All hell broke loose when a Serbian player tried to remove the flag from the drone and the match was abandoned.
ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images
A drone peeks above the scoreboard at Wrigley Field during the seventh inning of the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game in September 2014.