Augmenting rhythm: a scoping review of technologies and feedback modalities in elite sport

Abstract Rhythm—the precise timing and harmonious flow of movement—is a determinant of success in elite sports but remains difficult to train using traditional, subjective coaching methods. Human augmentation technologies offer a pathway to objectify and train this complex skill through real-time feedback. This scoping review, conducted in line with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews and the Joanna Briggs Institute Population–Concept–Context framework, maps a segment of the sports-engineering and human-augmentation technology literature (2000–2025) to identify technologies and feedback modalities that show potential for supporting rhythm training in high-performance contexts. Synthesizing data from 129 technology-focused studies retrieved from Scopus, ACM Digital Library, and IEEE Xplore, the review characterizes how rhythm-relevant information is currently operationalized within this literature, which is defined by the ubiquity of wearable sensing and the rapid emergence of immersive technologies. Across the included studies, the corpus skews towards wearable sensors (48.8% of studies) and visual feedback displays (81% of studies). Within this technology-focused corpus, a notable disconnect is observed: most reported systems target novice populations using discrete kinematic metrics rather than the holistic temporal parameters relevant to elite performance. Furthermore, while reporting quality is generally high (e.g., > 93% of studies clearly state aims), a validation challenge persists, with nearly 20% of included works lacking formal evaluation. This paper articulates four challenges in this technology-focused literature—including the scarcity of elite-context evidence and limited alignment between sensory modality and task demands—and outlines exploratory, hypothesis-generating directions for future human augmentation technologies in sports engineering.