Reflections on Long-Term Development and Use of Automated Scoring Technology in a Sport (Modified Boxing) Context

Technology is being increasingly used to aid judging in sport, but its employment as the primary means of scoring is rare. We have developed and implemented a fully automated scoring system in the context of a modified, lowrisk form of boxing. The system, which requires contestants to wear vests and gloves incorporating sensor fabrics, has been used in multiple settings over the past five years. During that period, it has undergone progressive iteration guided by action research methodology. Here, we summarise that iteration, reflect on present status and identify possible future directions. We have found that concept of automated scoring has wide appeal, and the wearable technology is almost universally considered comfortable. Nevertheless, some issues remain to be addressed. Use of the technology requires considerable prior and subsequent commitment of time. Apparently valid contacts occasionally fail to score. Causative factors include the configuration of electrical circuitry in the vests and deterioration of that circuitry with repeated vest use and washing. Also, false positive scores are sometimes generated by vest self-shorting and effects of sweat. Many contestants adopt unorthodox styles aimed at exploiting the characteristics of the automated scoring methodology, affecting the aesthetics of the modified sport. There is an expectation that technologically-based scoring should have much greater accuracy than human judging, and should be essentially fail-proof. Disillusionment can occur in situations where this expectation is not met. We have identified potential solutions to all the existing issues, with some now being actively explored. How to cite this paper: Perkins, P., Helmer, R.J.N., Mackintosh, C. and Hahn, A.G. (2017) Reflections on Long-Term Development and Use of Automated Scoring Technology in a Sport (Modified Boxing) Context. World Journal of Engineering and Technology, 5, 455-480. https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2017.53040 Received: July 3, 2017 Accepted: July 28, 2017 Published: July 31, 2017 Copyright © 2017 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/