Estimation of oxygen consumption during cycling and rowing

The aim of this paper is to develop estimator that can predict oxygen consumption (V_O2) during cycling and rowing exercises, by using non-invasive and easily measurable quantities such as heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RespR) and frequency of exercising activity. The frequency of exercise is quantified as a universal measure of exercise intensity and is known as Exercise Rate (ER). This ER is responsible for deviation in V_O2 (ΔV_O2), HR (ΔHR), and RespR (ΔRespR) from their respective baseline measurements during exercise. Therefore, ΔV_O2 can be estimated from Δ, ΔRespR and ER. The resting measured of V_O2 is referred as V_O2rest; this is computed from the physical fitness of an individual. The Hammerstein model is adopted for the estimation of ΔV_O2. Results in this study demonstrate that the developed estimators for each type of exercise are capable of estimating V_O2 by adding up V_O2rest and ΔV_O2 at various intensities during cycling and rowing.