Be a Judge! – Wearable Wireless Motion Sensors for Audience Participation

In recent years the Olympic Games have undergone vast criticism due to perceived subjective scoring in judged events, as for example figure skating and gymnastics. Judges ’ scores may be influenced by favoritism, human error, or possibly corruption. Audience participation in scoring represents a promising approach to meet these problems. In this paper we present an audience voting system that utilizes the natural behavior of sports spectators: clapping and cheering. The system consists of wireless motion sensors and microphones that enable spectators to cast their vote in real time. The sensors are worn by audience members and determine the clapping frequency of each participant. This facilitates continuous influence on the score throughout an athlete’s performance. The audience score is presented on wall-sized stadium displays and might be contrasted with the judges ’ scores to encourage audience engagement