WEARABLE
OCTAGON AND CISCO LAUNCH ‘ THE CONNECTED SCARF ’ FOR MAN CITY FANS
Octagon has partnered with Cisco to launch ' The Connected Scarf ' – an innovative new technology project in support of Cisco ’ s partnership with Manchester City FC and City Football Group . UNIT9 , a global production and technology agency , also helped spearhead the initiative . As part of Cisco ’ s ongoing efforts to power a more inclusive future , drive innovation and better connect fans globally with the clubs and players they love , Octagon helped bring to life Cisco ’ s vision for ‘ The Connected Scarf ’. The wearable technology monitors a fan ’ s emotional journey throughout a match , providing further insight into the interconnection between the club and its supporters .
" In our work with Manchester City over the past few years , we ’ ve continuously looked for ways to connect fans to the sport they love , on another level ," said Ashley Marusak , Global Sports Marketing Manager for Cisco . "' The Connected Scarf ' is an exciting project for us to pilot together , as we seek to better understand and measure the ups and downs of football fandom and how the game impacts supporters not only emotionally , but physically as well ."
" Being a fan of any club is an emotional rollercoaster . Thanks to ' The Connected Scarf ', we ’ re now able to understand the physiological emotions fans go through during a game ," said Ryan Shaw , Creative Director , Octagon UK . " Creating this technology from scratch has been an incredible journey and we ’ re incredibly excited about how much this scarf can teach us about fans and club culture ."
Conceptualised and brought to life over a period of four months , this sophisticated wearable is fitted with an opensource device of biometric sensors integrated into the fabric , anonymously capturing bio-signals coming from a series of skin conductance sensors .
' The Connected Scarf ' is able to accurately track and record fans ’ emotional , physiological and movement data throughout a match . The sensors are also able to capture four separate data streams including :
» Heart rate , heart rate variability , respiration , oxygen saturation and hydration
» Sympathetic nervous system responses that are driven by cognitive and emotional arousal » Movements , activity , gesture , rotation and cardinal direction » Temperature that can be used to assess emotional reactions
When worn by a fan watching their team , the feedback is remarkably accurate with fascinating nuances , capturing both positive and negative reactions to goals , tackles and referee decisions .
A two-minute film was created to launch the project , featuring Manchester City men ’ s stars Jack Grealish and Aymeric Laporte , and documents the development of ' The Connected Scarf ' as fans throughout Etihad stadium tested the new technology during the team ’ s victory over Newcastle in the Premier League . �
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