What is the Most Technologically Advanced Sport?

Even if you don’t notice at first glance, sport and technology are two elements that go hand in hand. While each sport may implement technology differently, there is almost always some form of tech being implemented to monitor performance, improve safety, or boost performance.

But which sport is the most technologically advanced?

Football

You could be forgiven for thinking that football would be a sport that doesn’t need or use technology, but that could not be further from the truth. In fact, at the upcoming tournament in Qatar, we’ll see innovative examples of football technology at the World Up.

This will include a ball with sensors, artificial intelligence, high-speed cameras, and a range of systems to reduce energy consumption throughout the event.

Formula 1

Formula 1 is often described as the “pinnacle of motorsport”. It’s earned this title by being at the cutting edge of technology.

Inside the cars, you’ll find an incredibly efficient hybrid engine that captures lost energy from braking and from the turbo to charge a battery that can then power an electric motor to make the car faster.

But that’s now where the technology ends. Every driver is supplied with a “bionic glove” which monitors their vital signs throughout the race. In the event of a crash, this glove allows the sport’s medical team to begin assessing a driver before they arrive at the scene of the accident.

That’s still not all. There is technology deployed everywhere in F1, including the computer modelling used to design the most efficient cars, the augmented reality that’s used to add timing graphics and advertisements to the cars and track, and the finely-tuned wheel guns that allow teams to change four tyres in less than two seconds.

Formula E

Formula E is a sport you may be less familiar with. It’s similar to Formula 1 in many ways, most notably the fact that it’s a world championship of single-seater car races.

However, Formula E takes the technology of Formula 1 and turns it all the way up to 11.

The sport has done away with combustion engines entirely, replacing them with an electric motor, like those in road cars.

Fans can vote ahead of a race to award a few drivers a “Fan Boost”, which grants them some extra power from their battery. Similarly, augmented reality is used to display an activation zone on the circuit that drivers can go off-line to pass through.

Doing so is slower but unlocks more power for a short period, creating opportunities for clever strategies.

On top of that, Formula E has developed all-weather tyres that help to reduce waste while also providing performance in the dry and safety in the wet.

WIth all this in mind Formula E is clearly the most technologically advanced sport on the planet, at least right now.