Manchester City launches a smart scarf that records fan reactions

Manchester City is interested in understanding what makes its fans feel alive. On Wednesday, the Premier League football club announced that it has been collaborating with Cisco, its technology partner since 2019, to develop a "Connected Scarf" that includes an "EmotiBit" sensor for measuring the wearer's heart rate, body temperature, and emotional state during a game. According to the two firms, the accessory will allow fans to be “closer to the game than ever before," but how exactly it will accomplish this remains unknown.

Cisco completed a pilot project recently to evaluate the gadget. The company and Manchester City invited six "lifelong" supporters to watch the team play. Meanwhile, the scarf collected data from 120 "moments of interest," providing the two organizations with "concrete information" to analyze how each fan in the room felt. “By utilizing this data, we'll be able to understand fans in ways that were previously unimaginable,” said Chintan Patel, Cisco UK and Ireland's chief technology officer.

Next season, the Connected Scarf will be available to Manchester City supporters, but it did not say if it will be accessible to fans at other clubs. It comes as no surprise that Cisco and Manchester have been looking into gathering more fan data. Data analytics have altered the way numerous sports are played over the last two decades. It was only a matter of time before teams attempted to replicate the fan experience with data, but some may find that the organizations are going a bit too far.