Use Cases

The nature of physical activity can be categorized as aerobic activity promoting cardiovascular fitness or strength exercises promoting musculoskeletal fitness. Particularly in frail and elderly population, balanced activity of both types is important, on the one hand, for keeping functional independence, and on the other hand, as a basis for proper rehabilitation after a severe disease. It is then essential to promote the practice of physical activity especially at home, where adherence to exercise is demonstrably greater than when performed in centers, and where phase III rehabilitation takes place.

However, this physical activity has to be supervised in order to improve physical fitness whilst minimizing the risk of injury by incorrect execution or overuse. Moreover, this supervision of physical activity has to be achieved whilst providing feedback to the user, since this is required for preserving or increasing motivation and program adherence. The first integrated prototype of the PAMAP system provides this functionality for both categories of physical activity, thus supporting a holistic way of physical activity monitoring.

Strength Exercise Monitoring @ Home

The system offers monitored resistance and stretching exercises, such as biceps curls. An arm or leg exercise can be monitored using a sensor network with two IMUs. In case of the arm, one of the IMUs should be attached just above the elbow and the other one just above the wrist. To monitor a leg exercise, the IMUs should be attached above the knee and the ankle, respectively. The full body posture can be captured from ten IMUs attached to the major body segments.

The system counts the repetitions and sets and evaluates exercise load and technique taking speed, amplitude, smoothness, and posture into consideration. Based on this, the monitored person gets immediate feedback (e.g., by raised alarms or messages) as well as graphical help to perform the correct motion. The captured movements are visualized by a virtual character.

 

Aerobic Activity Monitoring

The system monitors the global activity of a subject, identifies basic aerobic activities and estimates their intensity level. The activities to be identified are those traditionally recommended, such as walking, nordic walking, running or cycling. The system also identifies postures, such as lying or sitting/standing. Three IMUs are used to classify the activities: one sensor is attached to a central point of the torso, one is worn on the dominant arm just above the wrist, and one is attached to the shoe. The subject is kept informed about the type and intensity of the current activity. The information is also logged on the collection unit and uploaded to the electronic health record (EHR). The EHR makes it possible for the different system users to visualize and review the daily activity. The stored information provides valuable help for the medical personnel to make early diagnosis and to assess rehabilitation progress. It also serves as motivation for the monitored subject.

Downloads

The "PAMAP" dataset, recorded with 8 subjects performing 14 different activities within the use case of aerobic activity monitoring is publicly available:
PAMAP Dataset (141 MB)

A new dataset ("PAMAP2") recorded from 18 activities performed by 9 subjects, wearing 3 IMUs and a HR-monitor, is now also publicly available:
PAMAP2 Dataset (656 MB)