Just How Hard?

Ganked from winds_of_change:
Sen­sors Track Mar­tial Arts Blows
Researchers from Palo Alto Research Cen­ter (PARC), Stan­ford Uni­ver­si­ty, and Impact Mea­sure­ment have brought com­put­ers into a mar­tial arts spar­ring ring with a sys­tem that sens­es the force of a hit.

The researchers are test­ing the sys­tem in Tae Kwon Do match­es. Infor­ma­tion from the sen­sors com­bined with the judges’ calls makes for more accu­rate scor­ing, accord­ing to the researchers. The method could also be used for sens­ing impact in oth­er con­tact sports and also for videogames.