Oskar Sánchez, a recent industrial technologies graduate from Tecnun in San Sebastián, has developed a sensor-equipped shin guard prototype designed to measure impact force and joint rotation in football players, diariovasco.com reported.
The device uses two sensors placed near the knee and ankle to quantify the number, intensity, and location of below-the-knee impacts. The project aims to provide referees with objective, real-time data to help judge fouls, penalties, and card decisions more accurately.
Quantifying Contact Where Video Replays Fail
The 22-year-old engineering student conceived the idea while watching football matches and observing how current technology tracks player movement, speed, and ball spin without quantifying physical contact.
Sánchez noted that video assistant referees often struggle to judge the true severity of a challenge from still images or moving angles alone. By translating impact forces into objective data, the prototype attempts to remove ambiguity from contentious challenges. The system calculates Newton force values through a mathematical formula and maps them to a microcontroller board resolution ranging from 0 to 4096, establishing numerical thresholds for yellow and red card infractions.
Funding Gaps and Hardware Limits Hinder Prototype Development
Because the invention served as an undergraduate thesis funded entirely out of pocket, Sánchez faced significant material limitations. The current prototype relies on an oversized circuit board that cannot fit inside a standard football shin guard and would risk injuring a player if worn on the pitch.
In its present state, the sensor reliably detects whether an impact occurred but cannot consistently measure precise gradations due to external factors like temperature fluctuations. Shrinking the technology into a viable microchip would require sophisticated materials and financial investment currently beyond the scope of a student project.
Adapting Rugby Safety Protocols for Football
The design draws inspiration from existing safety technology used in rugby union, where flashing LED lights indicate severe head impacts that trigger mandatory concussion assessments.
Sánchez integrated a similar philosophy of automated threshold alerts into his football protector concept, focusing on the tibia and ankle zones where impacts pose higher injury risks. Although the prototype remains non-functional for professional competition, the academic evaluation panel awarded the project a grade of 9 out of 10 for its technical innovation and independent summer development.
Balancing Advanced Studies with Real Sociedad Loyalty
Sánchez is currently pursuing a master’s degree in industrial engineering while maintaining season tickets for Real Sociedad, a club he has supported for roughly eight years.
While he acknowledges that his current hardware setup is not ready for professional implementation, he hopes to see contact-quantification technology eventually integrated into elite football officiating. For now, the young engineer balances his academic pursuits in Gipuzkoa with following his club through domestic and European competitions.
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