Smart Wearables for Team Strengthening

Smart Wearables for Team Strengthening – dual use eSport and defense

Project information

Project	Smart Wearables for Team Strengthening – dual use eSport and defense
Duration	01.12.2024 – 30.11.2026
Partners	Häme University of Applied Sciences, HAMK Tech Research Unit
Funders	Business Finland
Budget	696 647 €

In the Smart Wearables for Team Strengthening project, smart wearables that supports team activities and performance in e-sports and defense industry is developed further. The goal is to commercialize prototypes and create a foundation for establishing a new growth company.

Touch plays an important role in traditional sports. Touch between team members, such as high fives, fist bumps, pats on the back, and hugs, communicate trust, emotion, and strengthen the experience of social connection. Touch as a central channel of nonverbal communication is an essential part of successful team functioning and has a positive impact on teamwork and performance.

The project focuses on further developing and preparing for commercialization of two different smart wearables developed at HAMK. Spiritus Ludi is a smart sleeve designed for e-sports teams, which enables encouragement through touch in remote gaming situations. Ripple is a calming and team-building smart wearable built on the Spiritus Ludi technology platform.

The three goals of the project are:

1) User testing of proof-of-concept prototypes with e-sports players
The goal of user testing is to develop the Spiritus Ludi prototype for remote testing and to conduct field testing with e-sports players in remote gaming situations in Finland and Germany. The testing of the Ripple prototype aims to be carried out with the same e-sports teams. Additionally, the need and suitability testing of Spiritus Ludi and Ripple prototypes for the defense sector will be conducted.

2) Preparation for commercialization
The goal is to determine commercialization and customer value, mapping of business models, productization, and production-related aspects, as well as exploring financing models.

3) Coaching and clarification and strengthening of intellectual property rights
The goal is to increase knowledge of commercialization and entrepreneurship, as well as protecting intellectual property rights.

Target group

The main target groups of the project are e-sports players and soldiers.

Smart wearables

WHAT IF WE COULD SEND DIGITAL “HIGH FIVES” IN A REMOTE TEAM?

Spiritus Ludi is a smart sleeve for sharing of the encouraging touch in remote e-sport teams.

The best performing sport teams express more social touch gestures such as high fives, fist bumps, taps than lower performing teams. In e-sport, the teams even on a professional level train and compete far from each other.

Spiritus Ludi enables touch gestures to remote e-sport teams. It is a smart sleeve which sends and receives touches in real time. When a player taps the sleeve, it will send touch messages to all team members’ sleeves. The sleeve is connected to the app which takes care of the touch communication between the players.

Spiritus Ludi is tested with several e-sport teams, and it elevates connection between the players.

älyvaate hiha älyvaatteen elektroniikkaa älyvaatteen kosketusalue

IMAGINE IF WE COULD ENHANCE OUR TEAM SPIRIT BY SYNCHRONISING OUR BREATHING

Ripple is a smart sleeve which guides an e-sport team to synchronous calm breathing by touch.

E-sports players often experience high stress levels, nervousness, anxiety, and excitement prior and during a match. These have a negative impact on team spirit and performance.

Ripple is a smart short sleeve which assists using touch to calm breathing in a team. The sleeve gently strokes the arm of the player when it is turned on prior to or during the breaks of a game by the coach. When Ripple is on, the team breaths along with the stroking movement in a synchronous rhythm. This reduces stress levels, promotes a stronger connection between players, and improves co-operation and performance.

älyvaate hiha älyvaate hiha, ripple