Diagram 1: Polar strap system
Polar strap System: The polar chest strap uses a MSR 12 plug-in heart rate module HR that processes and logs the heart rate pulse. There is a specific temporal pattern the HR module reads the heart rate radio signal: 1 sec., every 10 sec., every 30 sec., and every 60 sec. which measures the pulse (heart beats per min.) The storage rate is dictated by this statistic: every nth measurement value is stored (n= 1-256).
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Diagram 2: Electronic Stethoscope
System: An electronic stethoscope takes audiory fluxes in breath (it can also be used for heart rate and abedom readings) and transfers them into sound waves. The medal chest piece has a small bell like curve that is coupled over the chest. The chest piece is placed agaist the diaphram detecting acoustic pressure waves which flow through hollow tubes which is then converted to an the analog electronic output. The electrical output visualizes the low and high frequency sounds. The body sound basically vibrates the hard medal chest piece to create these frequencies.
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Diagram 3: Lung
System: The average breath cycle is 15 to 25 times per minute. During exercise breath rate increases significantly. When you inhale air travels down the trachea and into small airways called bronchi. Air continues to small sacs called alveoli. In side the alveoli oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide. Blood cells absorb oxygen from the capillaries in the alveoli. The carbon dioxide waste product is then released back into the lungs from the veins, during expiration the carbon dioxided is expelled from the body. Oxygen rich blood then travels to the heart so it can be pumped back into the body systems where its needed.
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Diagram 4: Planned system for final project (based off the Polar strap): Breathing Shirt
System: This is a workout shirt with a breath sensor embedded in side. Polar currently makes a chest strap that can detect heart rate but does not detect breath rate. I wanted to expand on their device in two ways: 1. Make it geared to measuring the person’s breath rate and pattern. 2. Make the chest strap woven into the shirt so its less invasive. There are three componets that are embedded into the chest strap.
1. Flex sensor: It calculates the measures rise and fall of the chest.
2. Stethoscope sensor: It measures sound wave patterns of the breath output by converting the auditory wave input to an electrical output. It also measures the pulse pattern of the heart, giving the athlete a heart rate reading.
3. Bluetooth communication device: The shirt automatically syncs with your computer to give you a data read out.
The sensors allow us to monitor both the simplistic breath rate via raise and fall of chest (flex sensor) and the actual auditory pattern of the breath (stethoscope sensor). This allows the runner to know two things—If their breath rate was consistent the entire time and if their pattern of breath is healthy or obstructed. Data transfer is simple because the device has Bluetooth.
Runners often use devices that measure their heart rate and caloric burn in their training, but very few devices focus on breath or respiration. Breath can affect heart rate and stabilitiy. Breath connects all of our major nervous systems. Runners train by controlling their breathing to calm and control their sympaethic nervous in strenus exercise. This action inadvertaly makes their resting heart rate lower at high activity. It would also be great to extend this shirt can be used in all forms of activity from yoga to biking.
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