appear to be stretched), but still preserving the order of finishers. Improvements included that made in 1948 by Australian Bertram Pearl whose system incorporated a mirror and neon-pulse time signature in the winning-post which would provide a precisely aligned image in which both sides of the horses could be viewed, and on which the neon left a set of stripes at 100th/sec intervals for accurate timing. If the reflected image of the horses aligned vertically exactly with the foreground image, it was proof that the camera was not viewing the finish line at an angle (and therefore incorrectly recording the horses' relative positions). Pearl's partner was his friend, society portraitist Athol Shmith. Shmith's contribution was to formulate means to speed the processing of the strip of negative down to 55 seconds and then to a rapid 35 seconds. These times rivalled even the instant one-minute picture processing by Edwin Land's Model 95 Polaroid camera which became available at that time. Digital Digital cameras use a 1-dimensional array sensor to take 1-pixel-wide sequential images of the finish line. Since only a single line of the CCD is read out at a time, the frame rates can be very high (up to 20,000 frames per second). Unlike a film based photo finish, there is no delay from developing the film, and the photo finish is available immediately. They may be triggered by a laser, photovoltaic means, or even motion sensing done within the photo finish camera. Video Another method for creating this strip involves combining individual photographs. A high-speed camera or a movie camera is used to take a continuous series of partial frame photos at a fast rate, while leaving no blank space between the cells. Uses Athletics In athletics, races have to be timed accurately to hundredths (or even thousandths) of a second. A battery of electronic devices are installed in high-profile events (such as the Olympic Games) to ensure that accurate timings are given swiftly both to the spectators and to the officials. The photo finish has been used in the Olympics since as early as 1912, when the Stockholm Olympics used a camera system in the men's 1500 metres race. The 1948 Olympics saw the finish of the men's 100 metre race determined with the use of photo finish equipment provided by Swiss watchmaker Omega and the British Race Finish Recording Company. At the finish line, photocells and