Facial-Signal Review for Athlete Check-Ins
A FACS-grounded review layer that reports observable facial-movement patterns in athlete video, time-coded to source footage for a coach or sport psychologist to review. It cannot detect burnout or infer readiness, and must not be used for athlete selection.
The video already exists — the observable signal in it goes unreviewed
Coaches record pre-practice, post-practice, and film-room sessions, but nobody has time to review every athlete's footage frame by frame. Observable facial movements — brow, eye-region, and mouth-area Action Units — go unnoted, so the conversations that could start earlier don't.
Wellness surveys depend on self-report, and heart-rate variability and sleep trackers describe physical load. None of these give a coach a consistent, time-coded way to revisit what an athlete's face was doing on camera. Mental Edge does not replace them, and it cannot tell you whether an athlete is burned out — only a qualified person can reach that kind of conclusion.
FACS-grounded facial-movement signals, time-coded to your footage
Mental Edge analyzes pre-practice, post-practice, and film-room video and reports observable upper-face Action Unit patterns — for example AU6 (cheek raiser) and AU4 (brow lowerer) activation and overall facial expressivity — as measurements linked to specific timestamps in the source video.
Coaches receive trend reports per athlete that show how these measured facial-movement signals change relative to that athlete's own prior recordings, with links back to the exact clips. The reports are prompts for a human check-in — they do not detect, diagnose, or predict burnout, and they should never be used to select, cut, or bench an athlete.
Capabilities
- Personal baselines per athlete — Each athlete's facial-movement measurements are compared against their own historical recordings — not a population average — so a report highlights measurable change to review rather than labelling a person.
- Works through helmets and visors — Upper-face Action Units (brow, eye region) remain observable even when lower-face hardware partially occludes the athlete, so the system still produces measurable signal for football, hockey, motorsport, and combat sports.
- Time-coded trend reports — Coaches and performance staff get a one-page summary per athlete with trend lines for the measured Action Units, each linked back to the source clip so a human can watch the moment in context.
- No wearables required — The system uses standard video — practice cameras, film-room cameras, or a phone — so adoption doesn't require a hardware rollout or new athlete sensors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Mental Edge detect athlete burnout?
No. Mental Edge cannot detect, diagnose, or predict burnout, and it cannot infer an athlete's resilience, readiness, wellbeing, or mental state. It reports observable facial-movement patterns — Action Units and expressivity — as time-coded measurements linked to the source video. Interpreting whether anything is wrong is a judgment for a qualified sport psychologist or clinician.
Does the system work for athletes wearing helmets, mouthguards, or visors?
Yes. Mental Edge is built on Action Units, including upper-face AUs (brow, eye region) that remain observable behind most sports hardware. When the lower face is occluded the system reports fewer AUs rather than refusing to score.
Is this a replacement for sports psychology services?
No — Mental Edge is an observational review tool inspired by Dr. Paul Ekman's FACS framework. It surfaces measured facial signals linked to footage that a human can review; a qualified sport psychologist or mental performance coach decides what, if anything, they mean.
Can I use this to decide who makes the roster or gets playing time?
No. Mental Edge must not be used for athlete selection, cutting, benching, or any other high-stakes decision about a person. It is a review aid for facial-movement footage, not a measure of ability, character, or readiness.
What video quality is required?
Standard 1080p at 24 fps or higher from any camera with a clear view of the athlete's face is sufficient. Practice film, post-game interviews, and locker-room check-ins all work.
How is athlete data protected?
Mental Edge is stateless by default — frames are processed and facial-movement vectors are stored, but raw video is not retained unless the customer explicitly opts in. Edge deployment is available for environments where data cannot leave the facility.
How much does athlete facial-signal review cost?
Mental Edge's Pro + Analytics tier is $129.99/month per seat and includes everything required for athlete trend tracking. Multi-seat and team pricing is available — contact info@mentaledge.ai for a quote.
Recommended tier: Pro + Analytics ($129.99/mo) — Reviewing facial-movement trends across multiple athletes over time requires the trend tracking in the Pro + Analytics tier.
All solutions · Start a free trial