The Australian Open will feature new high-tech umpire chairs that will automatically lift the umpire up to their perch above the court with a push of a button.
The mechanical chairs are set to debut on three stadium courts at Rod Laver Arena, MCA and Hisense Arena during the two-week tournament, which kicked off in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday. Previously, umpires had to manually climb up and down on a ladder.
“The new, automated umpire’s chair is not only practical for our chair umpires, but it will be great fun for the fans,” Tennis Australia’s Chief Operations Officer Tom Larner said in a statement. “I’m sure they’ll enjoy the anticipation as the official walks onto court, buckles up, and pushes the button to rise to the required height.”
The chairs come in addition to other new contemporary court furniture that will be unveiled on all 22 courts at the Australian Open, each designed to reflect the new and modernized Australian Open brand.
Design company Synergy Australasia, which builds physical spaces for brands and was commissioned to do this project, said the process took a full year from concept to build.
“We look at every aspect of the field of play to see how we can improve the experience for our players, officials and fans,” Larner said.
“This new look has also given us the opportunity to bring the contemporary new AO brand to life, both in the shapes of the furniture and through the built-in LEDs on the automated chair.”
Tennis Australia tends to refresh court furniture every five years or so, Larner said.