The Super (Science) Bowl, part one

This Sunday brings one of the most honored feasts of annual rite. Millions of individuals will fill bars, homes and man caves to remotely experience the exhilaration of violent contest between worthy foe. The spectacle will be celebrated with food, drink, gambling and camaraderie.

THIS… IS SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

And this, is a heckuva Super Bowl party! via Jaunted

I want you to accept that you're not watching the game for the science or technology. (Done? Good.) Yet, between monitoring the players' physiology and also striving to make the game more accessible for viewers everywhere, our modern technology finds its way into the Super Bowl in the most subtle of ways.

Are you prepared to have a different perspective on the game this weekend? Probably not, so I'm not going to provide you with one. However, here are some of the most overlooked uses of science behind one of America's greatest pleasures.

Keep Your Players Hydrated

Unlike the victorious players the morning after their celebration, and probably you on your Monday drive to work, active football players are kept hydrated to maintain perfect performance. A team's medical staff monitors the players in a unique way.

I present the internal thermometer pill.

via NASA

This technology was originally used in astronauts to monitor their internal temperatures during space walks. Astronauts can face temperatures ranging between 250 ̊F and -250˚F so it became essential to monitor them while in their space suits. After several football players died of heatstroke in 2001, some football administrators inquired about this NASA technology. All NFL teams, most D-1 schools and some teams in other sports now incorporate this thermometer pill as part of a pregame regimen.

Yummmmmy via HQ Inc.

Simply, the pill's quartz thermometer vibrates at a frequency in proportion to the body's temperature. Trainers can monitor a player through computers and tablets, and offer recommendations to keep a player safe.

Sideline Audio

via Spy Egg

Ahhh, the parabolic microphone. The industry standard for eavesdropping and espionage. It also produces gold like when then-Auburn Coach Will Muschamp decided to drop some big f-bombs live on ESPN, unaware that he could be heard. (The uncensored version can be found here.)

The parabolic microphone is rather simple in employment. Sound is transmitted in waves that become weaker as they become further from their source. Sound also has the capability to bounce and reflect, so a parabolic microphone reflects more of the sound waves to a central point, called the focus. At the focus, a sensitive hearing device is placed that allows the user to accurately hear distant sounds.

This gentleman is listening to his tummy. "Huh," he said. via Daily News

That Yellow First Down Line

It's so imperceptible this may be the first time it's been brought to your attention. Have you ever notices the faux yellow line on the football field indicating the first down marker? That line only appears on your television, and furthermore, only by command.

Pshhh, phony. via Wikimedia

Its technology is rather impressive. Production company sporTVision partners with networks to provide that yellow line. They mount computers to every game camera so they are able to capture that camera's location, zoom, camera angle and resolution. That information is collected, and a virtual field is created in sporTVision's production truck. They must compensate for how the camera is positioned and the rate at which the operator pans. They super impose the virtual field onto the real field-all with the game only on a few seconds delay-and add the yellow line.

But the players, referees, linesman and ball all seem to pass over the yellow line. Similar to the 'green screen effect,' sporTVision tells its system to ignore other colours and only paint the yellow line over the color of the playing field, usually green. Admittedly, the system isn't perfect and can have difficulty painting over a green field if a team has a similarly hued jersey. Also, a similar system was used in the '90s for hockey to make pucks more identifiable, much to the chagrin of hockey fans nowhere everywhere.

I personally consider this an abomination. via Wikimedia

Tomorrow, part two of "The Super (Science) Bowl" will be presented. In the mean time, enjoy click on this: Who's the Hotter Super Bowl Quarterback: Eli Manning or Tom Brady?