An Intelligent Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitative System on Cardiopulmonary Fitness

Contemporary cardiopulmonary rehabilitation programs often utilize cycling ergometer, involving one-on-one heart rate monitoring by physiotherapists to ensure that patients reach the target training intensity during training sessions. However, the process is frequently described as monotonous and boring, resulting in early fatigue of therapists and patients as well as poor compliance, leading to undertraining and suboptimal outcomes.

This study aims to test the feasibility of the "Intelligent Cardiopulmonary Training System (ICRS)" and a novel indicator of measuring the adherence to training intensity. The ICRS was developed with the idea to provide machine-based supervision on the user's heart rate during training. It provides moderate-intensity continuous training with a cycling ergometer. This system automatically adjusts the paddling resistance according to the user's real-time heart rate, and helps to improve the user's adherence to pre-determined training intensity without trainer's watch. The automation of intensity adjustment has its potential for conditions in which supervision is not feasible.