I-Corps: Translation Potential of A Platform to Enable Coaches to Measure and Manage Communication in Team Sports

Award ID: 2526723

This I-Corps project focuses on the development of a real-time feedback platform designed to enhance teamwork in team sports. Team sports are central to education, identity, physical wellness, and community building. Despite their wide-reaching impact, effective methods to measure and improve teamwork remain underdeveloped. Existing approaches primarily rely on retrospective assessments rather than providing dynamic, in-the-moment support. This project addresses this gap by introducing a solution that tracks and analyzes player interactions during games and practices. The platform enables coaches, trainers, and administrators to access meaningful, evidence-based insights into communication and coordination within teams. By fostering improved collaboration and strategic decision-making, this innovation supports national goals of promoting learning and community welfare. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. This solution is based on the development of a wearable sensor system combined with artificial intelligence models to assess and enhance team communication in sports environments. The system includes wearable devices equipped with audio and location sensors that capture real-time data from athletes. This data is transmitted to a centralized web-based platform where advanced models analyze communication patterns, coordination efficiency, and other performance metrics. The processed analytics are then presented through an intuitive interface that allows stakeholders to monitor team dynamics and adjust strategies accordingly. This approach advances the field by offering a scalable, data-driven alternative to traditional observational and survey-based methods, and it contributes to a broader understanding of human collaboration in high-stakes, real-world environments. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman