Did you know that two different wearable sensors can give an athlete two completely different scores for the same workout?

Those differences, which can be subtle and not-so subtle, make it hard for elite athletes, coaches and even sports leagues to cut through the noise and identify the tools that are best for them.

That’s exactly the challenge IEEE Member Rachel Hybart wants to address through a standard in development through the IEEE Standards Association.

IEEE Standard P3716, a Standard for the Quality Assessment of Human and Object Tracking Technologies Used in Field- or Court-based Sports, is intended to provide an objective performance evaluation of electronic systems that measure things like the speed, position and velocity of humans and objects in sports that are played in fields and courts.

She recently appeared on the IEEE SA Re-Think Health podcast. As the world’s attention begins to focus on elite winter sports, we touched base with her to discuss how this new standard might help elite athletes, coaches and leagues make more informed decisions.

“Without a way of assessing the quality of a specific measurement device or method, it’s really easy for teams and leagues to invest in technology that maybe doesn’t best suit their needs,” Hybart told the podcast.

Why Accuracy Matters

From wearables on wrists to GPS vests to special cameras using LiDAR, sensors are everywhere and data is embedded at the highest levels of decision-making.

“At the elite level, small errors in timing orientation or force estimation can meaningfully change conclusions about fatigue, asymmetry or injury risk,” Hybart said.

And it isn’t just training load. Data from sensors can be used to determine whether an injured player should return to play and to help broadcasters provide context for viewers at home. Sports leagues use data to evaluate rules designed to improve player safety.

How Different Sensors Take Different Measurements

To understand how differences in sensors and electronic devices can impact athlete data, consider the use of satellite-based navigation systems, like GPS, which are often combined with motion sensors worn on the body. While these satellite systems follow common standards, the devices that use them can process the data in different ways. During fast changes in speed or direction, differences in how frequently data is collected, how motion sensors are combined and how the data is smoothed can lead to noticeable differences in reported position and speed between systems.

Furthermore, the way wearables and other sensors measure athletic performance is frequently locked behind proprietary systems and algorithms that are hard to evaluate.

Are Consumer-Grade Sensors Good Enough?

Of course, the use of sensors and wearables isn’t just driven by elite athletes. Hobbyists and student athletes use them as well.

“Consumer devices are optimized for consistency and engagement at the individual level,” Hybart said. “Systems used by elite athletes must be precise enough to inform medical, performance and safety decisions.”

Systems used at elite international events are also designed to integrate multiple data streams such as motion tracking, force measurement, broadcast video and event context rather than relying on a single wearable signal.