---
title: "Robot Camera Mistakes Soccer Ref’s Bald Head For Ball"
description: "An AI-powered camera decided to follow the bald head of a linesman at a Scottish soccer game instead of the ball."
date: "2020-10-30"
modified: "2020-10-30"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/robot-camera-mistakes-soccer-refs-bald-head-ball"
categories:
  - "Artificial Intelligence"
tags:
  - "ai"
  - "artificial intelligence"
  - "soccer"
---

# Robot Camera Mistakes Soccer Ref’s Bald Head For Ball

![An AI-powered camera decided to follow the bald head of a linesman at a Scottish soccer game instead of the ball.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/robot-camera-mistakes-soccer-refs-bald-head-ball.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Chuckiehands/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Soccer Bald

Fans of the soccer team Caledonian Thistle FC from Inverness, Scotland, experienced something hilarious this week when the robot camera operator — automatically trained to keep the lens trained on the soccer ball using AI — kept mistaking the linesman's bald head for the ball, as [*IFL Science* reports](<https://www.iflscience.com/technology/ai-camera-ruins-soccar-game-for-fans-after-mistaking-referees-bald-head-for-ball/>).

The result: angry (or amused) soccer fans kept losing track of the game because the camera kept swiveling to zoom in on the referee's hairless head, as seen in a video uploaded to YouTube (bonus points for the excellent soundtrack).

"The commentator had to apologise today as the camera kept on mistaking the ball for the linesman’s head," reads a [now-viral tweet](<https://twitter.com/seagull81/status/1320132156774023168>).

https://youtu.be/9zoJP2FkpgU

## Sir Pixellot

Just weeks ago, [the club proudly announced](<https://ictfc.com/icttv-live-streaming-from-caledonian-stadium>) that it would be switching to the novel camera technology, called Pixellot, with "in-built, AI, ball-tracking technology to produce live HD footage."

The true source of frustration, arguably, was the fact that fans had to endure the shoddy camera work from home as they weren't able to attend the games live due to COVID-19 restrictions.

**READ MORE:** [AI Camera Ruins Soccer Game For Fans After Mistaking Referee's Bald Head For Ball](<https://www.iflscience.com/technology/ai-camera-ruins-soccar-game-for-fans-after-mistaking-referees-bald-head-for-ball/>) \[*IFL Science*\]

**More on AI:** *[This Neural Network Turns You Into a Zombie](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/neural-network-turns-you-into-zombie>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)