Manchester City Unveils Smart Scarf That Tracks Fans’ Emotional Reactions

Head to any soccer match in the UK, and chances are you’ll find tons of dedicated fans waving their club’s scarf proudly. 

Now, to bring the “ultimate symbol” of the most ardent fans to the 21st century, Manchester City has partnered with Cisco to develop a “smart scarf” that tracks fans’ emotional states throughout the game.

“Being a true passionate fan is physiological, it has nothing to do with how many games you attend or where you are in the world. It’s that unites us as a collective. Now we’ve got the data to prove it,” said Chintan Patel, Chief Technology Officer at Cisco UK & Ireland.

To test the scarf’s futuristic capabilities, the club invited six lifelong fans to take part in a pilot program, which monitored them over 90 minutes of a soccer game, capturing over 120 moments of joy, nervousness, tension, excitement, and the whole spectrum of emotions. 

The garment works by incorporating an EmotiBit sensor on its neck, which helps record a fan’s bio-signals throughout the duration of a match, including one’s heart rate, body temperature, and emotional state. 

With these data points, it’s believed The Connected Scarf could eventually be used to curate and customize fan experiences. Manchester City said it plans for the project to go “beyond the data,” and serve as a “study in shared passion” for soccer fans all over the globe. 

Starting next season, the high-tech scarf will be made available to fans both in the stadium and around the world, though it remains to be seen if fans are all that keen on having their emotions tracked, especially during particularly intense games. 

“A scarf is an iconic item that football fans across the globe own and wear to show their passion and support, and this latest activity with Cisco is an innovative, new way to bring fans together and connect with them in a new and exciting way,” summed up Nuria Tarré, Chief Marketing & Fan Experience Officer at City Football Group. 

[via Input and Manchester City, images via Manchester City]