Barcelona Tests New Sweat Analysis Technology for Player Performance Monitoring

Spanish club Barcelona is currently testing Onasport's advanced real-time sweat analysis technology, which aims to monitor players' physical load, lactate levels, and hydration. Developed by the Catalan company Onalabs, this tool seeks to provide a digital alternative to traditional blood measurements through precise algorithms that link biomarkers extracted from sweat to the body's physiological state.

The new technology relies on a specialized single-use patch placed on players' chests to instantly analyze sweat secretions. Initial trials have begun with the club's youth teams to evaluate the device's efficiency before its official adoption. Elisabet del Valle, co-founder of Onalabs, stated, “Listening to what sweat reveals allows us to monitor the body's internal load in real-time and open a new era where we move from measuring performance to predicting it, and from treating problems to preventing them.” She also explained that what previously required interrupting training and a finger prick is now continuously available without interrupting activity.

Through this investment, the Barcelona Innovation Hub aims to integrate the device into training vests to cross-reference location data with internal physical responses. In this context, Albert Mundt, the center's general manager, noted, “In high-level sports, external stress measurement technologies have become common, but we lacked the ability to monitor the internal physiological response in real-time, and this is exactly what the current technology provides.” He also mentioned the system's compatibility with connected Garmin watches to facilitate data tracking by technical staff.

Should the current trial period prove successful, the Catalan club plans to deploy the device with the first team during preparations for the new season. The current trend aims to replace strenuous traditional methods with technological means that allow continuous performance monitoring without disrupting sports activity, thereby enhancing the team's ability to manage physical loads, prevent fatigue-related injuries, and provide comprehensive data to the medical and physical staff.