e/spl I.bar/Coach

We developed the necessary software to control the playback speed of exercise videos playing on a personal computer, using the heart rate of an individual performing the recorded exercise routine. Moderate exercise, at an appropriate heart rate, is widely regarded today as an excellent way to improve one's health when performed on a regular and frequent basis. One popular form of an indoor exercise program is to use a video "workout" program of aerobic exercise and/or weight training exercises. The "off-the-shelf" exercise videos, while they may target various fitness levels (such as "beginner", "regular", and "advanced"), cannot offer precise adjustments to address each user's current fitness level. The software developed allows for the playback of an exercise video to be adjusted to accommodate the fitness level of the individual user through a closed loop feedback mechanism. The project is being improved for logging and analyzing the performance of an individual who uses the system regularly and for exercise planning. The closed loop feedback mechanism that models the relationship between the heart rate and exercise level is being improved with experiments in which subjects include fit people as well as ones who are sedentary.