The planned system would use full-body scans to create a digital representation of every player. Rather than relying on a generic avatar, officials could examine precise body positions when a shoulder, knee or boot is marginally ahead of the defensive line.
Reports say the scans will be matched with live tracking data, allowing the system to assess players while they are sprinting, jumping or sliding. Art Hu, Lenovo’s global chief innovation officer, has reportedly identified that transition from a stationary scan to live movement as one of the project’s biggest technical challenges.
The package is expected to combine optical tracking from more cameras with a ball sensor capable of identifying touches and movement at high speed. That could help VAR establish exactly when the ball was played, a crucial detail in tight offside decisions and penalty incidents.
Officials may also receive immediate alerts for clear offside errors, rather than waiting for play to finish. The technology is reportedly being prepared for red-card reviews, mistaken-identity cases and certain corner-kick decisions.
A specialised three-dimensional goalkeeper view could add another layer, helping determine whether an offside attacker blocked the goalkeeper’s line of sight.
Maximillian Schmidt, Kinexon’s co-founder, has reportedly said the ball sensor’s revised design is intended to improve stability. Yet greater accuracy will not automatically make VAR popular. Supporters will still want explanations, consistency and decisions delivered without draining the drama from major moments.
The first World Cup tests will come under intense scrutiny. The central storyline will be whether these digital tools shorten delays while preserving the human judgement that football’s biggest decisions still require.