Optical Fiber Sensing Technology for Sports Monitoring: A Comprehensive Review

The advancement of sports science has heightened demands for precise monitoring of athletes’ technical movements, physiological status, and performance. Optical fiber sensing (OFS) technology, with its unique advantages including high sensitivity, immunity to electromagnetic interference, capability for distributed sensing, and strong biocompatibility, demonstrates significant application potential in sports science. This review systematically examines the technical principles, innovative breakthroughs, and practical application cases of optical fiber sensors in various domains: monitoring key human physiological parameters such as respiration, heart rate, and body temperature; capturing motion and analyzing movement covering muscle activity, joint angles, and gait; integrating within smart sports equipment and protective gear; and monitoring sports apparatus and environments. The value of OFS technology is further analyzed in areas including sports biomechanics analysis, training load monitoring, injury prevention, and rehabilitation optimization. Concurrently, current technical bottlenecks such as the need for enhanced sensitivity, advancements in flexible packaging technologies, cost control, system integration, and miniaturization are discussed. Future development trends involving the integration of OFS with artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and new materials are explored, aiming to provide a theoretical foundation for sports medicine and training optimization.