FOR MORE THAN 100 years, the scarf has been the ultimate symbol of football fandom. It’s seen the highs and the lows; and captures the blood, sweat and tears of fans, week in and week out.
On Wednesday, Manchester City, together with technology partner Cisco, shared an innovative upgrade to the scarf that purportedly allows a “better understanding of the emotion at the heart” of the world’s beautiful game.
the club invited six lifelong City fans to take part in a pilot program testing out the new innovation – The Connected Scarf.
Using an EmotiBit bio sensor sitting discreetly on the neck, The Connected Scarf captures the body’s bio-signals throughout the match and allows for the shaping of “more curated, customized experiences” in the future.
The scarf records a range of physiological measures, including heart rate, body temperature, and emotional arousal – giving concrete information to analyze how fans are feeling at different moments in the match.
As per the Premier League champions, the ambition for the project goes far beyond the data. “We want the scarf to serve as a study in shared passion. A way for fans everywhere to revel in their love for football,” the club stated.
Commenting on the project, Nuria Tarré, chief marketing & fan experience officer, said: “At Manchester City, we continue to explore the latest technologies to deliver high quality fan experiences and bring them closer to the club. 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.”
Chintan Patel, chief technology officer of Cisco UK & Ireland, added: 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 what unites us as a collective. Now we’ve got the data to prove it.”
Cisco will be bringing The Connected Scarf to fans in Manchester and around the world from next season, it was further announced.
