Ergometer for physical conditioning assessment of people with disabilities and parathletes

Wheelchair users face various health issues, such as cardiac problems, obesity, tissue deformation, and shoulder and wrist injuries. Although the subject of ergometry is known since 1912 and the mechanic of propulsion gesture and wheelchair configuration has been studied over the years, most of the equipment found in the literature are adaptations or lack the tools for standardization of techniques. This paper aims to conduct biomechanical validation of a new wheelchair ergometer (ERGO1) designed for assessing physical fitness and muscle training of the upper limbs of people with disabilities.

ERGO1 features modular design, allowing adjustments for seat and backrest, with flywheel-equipped propulsion rims simulating ground propulsion. An electromagnetic system controlled by dedicated hardware and software provides resistance, enabling Wingate and incremental protocols. The tests used the Wingate protocol, and one study was compared to the BRUCE protocol for equivalence of electrocardiogram signals.

Ten volunteers underwent the first set of Wingate tests, presenting expected power and fatigue patterns for the loss of physical capacity during exercise. 23 volunteers underwent the test comparing the ERGO1 with a conventional treadmill and the correlation between the ST Segment's behavior was found.

ERGO1 is suitable for assessing physical conditioning and enables cardiovascular assessment due to the equivalency to the standard treadmill test. Costs for the systems range from 10 to 27 times less than current commercial options. It obtained a patent in 2022, and ongoing development includes adding more ergonomic adjustments and exploring virtual reality as a serious game to enhance motivation and concentration.