A breakthrough from Cambridge Consultants could give athletes the means to maximise their training and performance without the need for the usual armoury of sensors and wrist displays, instead just having to wear a pair of glasses.

With the working title of Technospecs, the new technology involves both data capture and an information delivery system, with sophisticated sensors measuring factors such as heart rate and blood oxygen levels.

The information collected is then delivered in real time to an athlete in the form of a head-up display similar to that developed for the pilots of jet fighters.

Cambridge Consultants believes its ‘wearable laboratory’ has great potential for use in the sporting world and is currently talking to clients in the industry about transferring the technology to commercial products.

It envisages its use in smart goggles for swimmers or in glasses for distance runners and cyclists, providing instant feedback on biomedical functions as well as timing data on the performance in progress.

A further development could be the addition of a wireless communications link to the Technospecs chip, allowing users to transfer performance data to a PC for detailed analysis.

leisure-kit keyword: Technospecs