Invisible ECG for High Throughput Screening in eSports.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Biomedical Engineering
• Sports Science

Background:

• eSports is a rapidly growing industry with increasing investment and focus on player performance.
• Physiological monitoring technologies are valuable for assessing factors like concentration in eSports.
• Existing body-worn sensors can cause distraction and discomfort for players.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel "invisible" sensing approach for physiological data collection in eSports.
• To explore new materials and propose a proof-of-concept data collection system integrated into computer peripherals.
• To assess the feasibility of using conductive nappa leather for unobtrusive physiological measurements.

Main Methods:

• A proof-of-concept system was designed using conductive nappa leather integrated into a keyboard armrest and mouse.
• Measurements were taken using the developed system and a gold standard device.
• Seven healthy subjects participated in the evaluation of the sensing approach.

Main Results:

• The "invisible" sensing approach demonstrated 3-15% signal loss.
• Mean heart rate difference between the experimental device and reference was -1.778 ± 4.654 beats per minute.
• ECG waveform morphology showed a Pearson correlation coefficient above 0.99 in the best cases.

Conclusions:

• The proposed "invisible" sensing system using conductive nappa leather is a viable method for unobtrusive physiological monitoring in eSports.
• This approach preserves the standard look and feel of computer peripherals while enabling data collection.
• The system shows potential for assessing player concentration and performance without causing distraction or discomfort.