Questions
Answered.
Everything you need to know about EchoDepth Sport — from how it works to what it means for your players, your staff, and your data.
What EchoDepth Sport Does
What is EchoDepth Sport?
EchoDepth Sport is an emotional intelligence platform for elite sport. It detects real-time emotional and physiological signals across 44 facial Action Units (FACS standard), cross-referenced with VAD (Valence, Arousal, Dominance) emotional modelling — giving coaching staff, welfare officers, and medical teams a continuous, objective read on player state.
How does EchoDepth Sport detect emotion?
EchoDepth uses the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), developed by psychologists Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen. It tracks 44 of the 46 defined Action Units — the individual muscle movements that make up facial expressions — in real time. These are cross-referenced with VAD emotional modelling to produce a comprehensive picture of each player's emotional state.
What is VAD emotional modelling?
VAD stands for Valence, Arousal, and Dominance — a three-dimensional model of emotional state. Valence measures whether an emotion is positive or negative. Arousal measures the intensity or activation level. Dominance measures the degree of control or confidence. Together, they provide a far richer picture of emotional state than a single-axis positive/negative scale.
What inputs does EchoDepth Sport use?
EchoDepth Sport is a multimodal platform. It processes facial video (primary), voice audio, and text. In a sport context, the primary input is facial — captured passively during training sessions, pre-match warm-ups, half-time team talks, and sideline interactions.
Does EchoDepth Sport replace welfare staff or medical professionals?
No. EchoDepth Sport gives welfare officers, coaches, and medical staff objective data they don't currently have. It surfaces signals; your staff makes the decisions. In concussion protocols specifically, EchoDepth supplements — not replaces — the HIA (Head Injury Assessment) process.
Data, Privacy & Governance
Is EchoDepth Sport GDPR-compliant?
Yes. All biometric data is processed under GDPR-compliant consent frameworks. EchoDepth is built with a player-first data governance model as a foundational requirement, not an afterthought.
Who can see a player's emotional data?
Players see their own scores. Aggregate reports for coaching staff are anonymised to role level. Individual biometric data is not shared with coaches, managers, or directors without explicit player consent. Welfare officers have access to individual alert data as part of their duty of care role.
Can players opt out?
Yes. Participation is fully consent-based. Players who opt out are noted, and welfare staff can use alternative methods. EchoDepth's governance framework is designed to protect player trust — without trust, the system cannot function.
Where is biometric data stored?
All data is processed and stored in compliance with UK GDPR. Specific data residency and retention terms are agreed during the bespoke deployment process. We do not sell or share individual biometric data with third parties.
How does EchoDepth Sport handle data for academy-age (under-18) players?
Under-18 players require enhanced consent protocols, typically involving parental or guardian consent in addition to the player's own consent. EchoDepth deployments at academy level include additional safeguarding provisions.
Deployment & Integration
How long does deployment take?
Deployments are bespoke. Typical onboarding includes a pre-season baseline capture phase (3–4 weeks), staff training, and workflow integration. Pre-season start is ideal, but mid-season deployment is supported.
What equipment is required?
EchoDepth Sport integrates with standard video capture equipment. No specialist hardware is required in most deployments. Specific camera and connectivity requirements are confirmed during the scoping process.
Can EchoDepth Sport integrate with Kitman Labs?
EchoDepth is designed to be the emotional intelligence layer on top of physical monitoring platforms. It adds data that Kitman Labs cannot provide — it does not compete with it. Integration and complementary deployment discussions are part of our enterprise onboarding process.
Can EchoDepth Sport integrate with Catapult?
Yes — EchoDepth's emotional layer is complementary to Catapult's GPS and biomechanics data. Clubs running Catapult can add EchoDepth to complete the picture: physical load on one side, emotional state on the other.
Is EchoDepth Sport available for academies as well as first teams?
Yes. Academy deployments are available and include enhanced welfare and safeguarding provisions appropriate for younger players. Academy welfare obligations under FA, RFU, and ECB guidelines are a core driver for EchoDepth Sport at this level.
Sport-Specific
Does EchoDepth Sport support the HIA (Head Injury Assessment) process in rugby?
Yes. EchoDepth captures a pre-season neurological baseline for each player. Post-impact, it delivers a timestamped AU divergence report to medical staff — flagging deviations in blink rate, gaze tracking (AU 41/42), brow suppression (AU 4), and asymmetric facial activation. This supplements the HIA — giving medical professionals richer evidence faster.
How does EchoDepth Sport handle Premier League welfare requirements?
EchoDepth Sport is designed to meet and exceed Premier League and FA academy welfare obligations. The BPS has called for mandated psychological monitoring in all professional academies — EchoDepth delivers the technology to meet that standard.
Is EchoDepth Sport suitable for touring cricket squads?
Yes. Individual baseline profiles travel with the player regardless of location. Welfare staff have access to continuous, objective data throughout an overseas tour — the same monitoring they would have at home.
Commercial
What does EchoDepth Sport cost?
EchoDepth Sport deployments are bespoke — pricing reflects the scale, sport, and workflow integration required. Contact us or book a demo to discuss your specific requirements.
Is there a minimum contract length?
Commercial terms are agreed as part of the bespoke deployment process. Typical engagements are structured around the sporting calendar — seasonal or multi-year agreements.
Who builds and supports the deployment?
All deployments are built and supported by Cavefish Ltd, the company behind EchoDepth Sport. We work with your existing welfare, medical, and technology teams to ensure the integration fits your specific workflow.