Including heart rate measurements in sports broadcasts isn't entirely new. Televised basketball, volleyball and rugby events, for example, have previously used this kind of data to make for more engaging viewing; but the vitals of players and coaches have always been measured by wearable devices of some form or another. At the upcoming golf tournament, though, Panasonic will instead use a kind of camera that estimates heart rate based on "the subtle color change on the player's face caused by vascular constriction."

If your immediate reaction is to be skeptical about the accuracy of such a measurement, we're right there with you. But Panasonic isn't messing around. The sensor technology was developed in collaboration with Kyoto University, and uses "millimeter-wave spread-spectrum radar" to track the minor changes in skin coloration. There's even been a proper study done comparing the estimates of the sensor tech to readings from a traditional body-worn ECG monitor, with results confirming a "very strong correlation" between the two measurements. In other words, what you'll be seeing on the broadcast will be a pretty reliable indicator of a pro golfer's stress level as they compose themselves for a must-sink putt.