How wearables can protect the health of athletes during training and sporting competition and enhance the brand
Rapid advances in wearable technologies and real-time monitoring have resulted in major inroads in the world of recreational and elite sport. One such innovation is our application of real-time monitoring, which comprises a smartwatch application and ecosystem, designed to collect, process and transmit a wide range of physiological, biomechanical, bioenergetic and environmental data using cloud-based services. We successfully assessed the impact of this technology during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where it helped characterize the physiological and thermal strain experienced by athlete during strenuous exercise in extremely hot conditions. Given this success, there is now the need for a more symbiotic relationship between sport, health and technology that harnesses the unique demands of elite sport (e.g., the need for unobtrusive devices that provide real-time feedback) and serves as medical and preventive support for patient care but also for performance assessment, monitoring and broadcasting.
Yannis Pitsiladis - Biosketch
Professor Yannis Pitsiladis has an established history of research into the importance of lifestyle and genetics for human health and performance. Following 15 years at the University of Glasgow, Scotland where he created the largest known DNA biobank from world-class athletes and one of the largest DNA biobanks in school-aged children, he was appointed (in 2013) Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Brighton. His current research priorities include the application of “omics” to the detection of drugs in sport and the “athletic gender”, and threats and opportunities of technological innovations in sport. His most recent research is funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He has published over 220 peer-reviewed papers and written/edited a number of books.