During dynamic exercise, the cardiovascular system increases the delivery of blood and oxygen to working muscles as the metabolic demand increases, resulting in an increase in heart rate (HR) and stroke volume. Obtaining a model that could describe our cardiovascular system during exercise could improve our understanding of exercise physiology. Besides for the understanding, the model is also useful for the control or regulation of cardiovascular variables, such as HR, during exercise. The ability to control the HR during exercise is of importance in the design of exercise protocols for patients with cardiovascular diseases, and in developing rehabilitation exercises to aid patients recovering from cardiac surgery. In this talk, we first introduce a nonlinear model to describe the HR response to treadmill exercise. Next, based on this model, a controller that controls the speed of a treadmill is designed for the regulation and control of an exerciser’s HR during treadmill exercise. This automated treadmill system is then experimentally verified and the results demonstrate its potential use in the design of exercise protocols for individuals.

For further information, visit the website :http://scrg.ee.unsw.edu.au/ Contact person: Prof. V. Solo (v.solo@unsw.edu.au)