NFL to embed tracking chips in player shoulder pads

The NFL is preparing to make a high-tech leap.

The NFL is preparing to make a high-tech leap.

After testing out Zebra Technologies' MotionWorks RFID system in 18 stadiums last year, the league will use the wireless tracking technology by embedding it in every player's shoulder pads. According to Wired, fans will be able to view player vector data including speed, distance and direction traveled during a game from home, through the NFL 2015 app.

Available for Xbox One, the app offers fans a “Next Gen Replay” feature, displaying every player's tracking data shortly on every play, shortly after it concludes. Users will be able to toggle between players and see actual distance traveled, not just net yardage, for example. The aim of the app is to personalize fans' viewing experience with custom notifications and now, a new way of analyzing each game.

“We will tie Next Gen Stats into every replay that comes into the Xbox,” Todd Stevens, Executive Producer at Microsoft, told Wired. “Replays like a one-yard touchdown run, you don’t really need Next Gen Stats. But some of these plays, like a long pass play, are truly spectacular. We wanted to give them a bit of special sauce.”

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Wired reports the app will be available in late August.

- Jeremy Woo