Development Boards and Microcontroller Platforms in Sports and Physical Activity: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: The development of data processing platforms makes it possible to monitor human behavior outside the laboratory, which facilitates decision-making regarding physical activity, health, and training. Objective: Analyze the available scientific evidence on data logging in the field of sports and physical activity using development boards and microcontroller platforms. Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The selection and inclusion of studies in this review were based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria derived from the participants, interventions, outcomes (PIO) strategy. Methodological quality was assessed using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS). Results: After all the information screening was completed, 23 documents met the eligibility criteria. The studies addressed a wide range of sports practices, including swimming, athletics, skiing, cycling, badminton, tennis, strength training, weightlifting, rehabilitation, outdoor route monitoring, and female contact-sport scenarios such as rugby, resulting in the implementation of microcontrollers in heterogeneous settings. Conclusions: For sports and health professionals, microcontroller-based systems can represent an effective way to implement objective and individualized monitoring, especially in high-performance contexts. For research, it is recommended that future studies focus on homogeneous comparisons with reference standards, larger and more diverse samples (including women), and longitudinal evaluations in real-world training and competition scenarios, so that these solutions evolve from functional prototypes into robust and transferable tools.