Ergometer for physical conditioning assessment of people with disabilities and parathletes

IF 1.4 3区医学 Q4 ENGINEERING, BIOMEDICAL

Clinical Biomechanics Pub Date : 2025-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2025.106434

Sérgio Augusto Albino Vieira , Silvio Soares dos Santos , Fernando Roberto de Fazzio , Roberto Mendes Finzi Neto , Cleudmar Amaral de Araújo

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Wheelchair users face various health issues, such as cardiac problems, obesity, tissue deformation, and shoulder and wrist injuries. Although the subject of ergometry is known since 1912 and the mechanic of propulsion gesture and wheelchair configuration has been studied over the years, most of the equipment found in the literature are adaptations or lack the tools for standardization of techniques. This paper aims to conduct biomechanical validation of a new wheelchair ergometer (ERGO1) designed for assessing physical fitness and muscle training of the upper limbs of people with disabilities.

Methods

ERGO1 features modular design, allowing adjustments for seat and backrest, with flywheel-equipped propulsion rims simulating ground propulsion. An electromagnetic system controlled by dedicated hardware and software provides resistance, enabling Wingate and incremental protocols. The tests used the Wingate protocol, and one study was compared to the BRUCE protocol for equivalence of electrocardiogram signals.

Findings

Ten volunteers underwent the first set of Wingate tests, presenting expected power and fatigue patterns for the loss of physical capacity during exercise. 23 volunteers underwent the test comparing the ERGO1 with a conventional treadmill and the correlation between the ST Segment's behavior was found.

Interpretation

ERGO1 is suitable for assessing physical conditioning and enables cardiovascular assessment due to the equivalency to the standard treadmill test. Costs for the systems range from 10 to 27 times less than current commercial options. It obtained a patent in 2022, and ongoing development includes adding more ergonomic adjustments and exploring virtual reality as a serious game to enhance motivation and concentration.

查看原文本刊更多论文

用于残疾人和运动员体能评估的测力计。

背景：轮椅使用者面临各种健康问题，如心脏问题、肥胖、组织变形、肩部和手腕损伤。虽然人体几何学科自1912年以来就为人所知，并且多年来一直在研究推进姿态和轮椅配置的机制，但文献中发现的大多数设备都是适应性的，或者缺乏标准化技术的工具。本文旨在对一种新型轮椅测力仪（ERGO1）进行生物力学验证，该测力仪设计用于评估残疾人上肢的体能和肌肉训练。方法：ERGO1采用模块化设计，允许调整座椅和靠背，配备飞轮推进轮辋模拟地面推进。由专用硬件和软件控制的电磁系统提供电阻，支持Wingate和增量协议。试验采用了温盖特方案，其中一项研究与布鲁斯方案比较了心电图信号的等效性。研究结果：10名志愿者接受了第一组温盖特测试，在运动过程中表现出体力损失的预期力量和疲劳模式。23名志愿者接受了ERGO1与传统跑步机的比较测试，发现了ST段行为之间的相关性。解释：ERGO1适用于评估身体状况，由于与标准跑步机测试相当，因此可以进行心血管评估。该系统的成本比目前的商业选择低10到27倍。它于2022年获得了专利，目前正在进行的开发包括增加更多的人体工程学调整，并探索将虚拟现实作为一种严肃的游戏来提高动力和注意力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Clinical Biomechanics 医学-工程：生物医学

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

5.60%

发文量

189

审稿时长

12.3 weeks

期刊介绍： Clinical Biomechanics is an international multidisciplinary journal of biomechanics with a focus on medical and clinical applications of new knowledge in the field. The science of biomechanics helps explain the causes of cell, tissue, organ and body system disorders, and supports clinicians in the diagnosis, prognosis and evaluation of treatment methods and technologies. Clinical Biomechanics aims to strengthen the links between laboratory and clinic by publishing cutting-edge biomechanics research which helps to explain the causes of injury and disease, and which provides evidence contributing to improved clinical management. A rigorous peer review system is employed and every attempt is made to process and publish top-quality papers promptly. Clinical Biomechanics explores all facets of body system, organ, tissue and cell biomechanics, with an emphasis on medical and clinical applications of the basic science aspects. The role of basic science is therefore recognized in a medical or clinical context. The readership of the journal closely reflects its multi-disciplinary contents, being a balance of scientists, engineers and clinicians. The contents are in the form of research papers, brief reports, review papers and correspondence, whilst special interest issues and supplements are published from time to time. Disciplines covered include biomechanics and mechanobiology at all scales, bioengineering and use of tissue engineering and biomaterials for clinical applications, biophysics, as well as biomechanical aspects of medical robotics, ergonomics, physical and occupational therapeutics and rehabilitation.