Immersive physiological tracking using operator physical state and operator device state
Unlike prior art systems that utilize a trainer who manually sets the user's device parameters such as speed, resistance, and incline to track the parameters of the trainer's device such as the trainer's device speed and, resistance, and incline; the disclosed novel system automatically controls the user's device parameters so that the physiological state of the user (e.g., the user's heart rate) tracks the physiological state of the trainer (e.g., the trainer's heart rate). Disclosed are physiological sensors that measure various biological conditions of the trainer and on the user and adds an immersion controller into the user's system that essentially uses the exercise devices as actuators that are adjusted in order to keep the user's physiological state tracking the trainer's physiological state.
1 . A system comprising:
a processor associated with a remote exercise device;
a first set of sensors, the first set of sensors monitoring a physical state associated with a remote operator and outputting a first set of parameters representing the physical state, the first set of parameters comprising at least one physiological parameter;
a second set of sensors, the second set of sensors monitoring a device state associated with the remote exercise device and outputting a second set of parameters representing the device state; and
a network interface communicatively coupled to the processor, the network interface transmitting, over a network, the first set of parameters; and the second set of parameters to an immersion controller;
wherein the immersion controller is associated with a local exercise device, the immersion controller:
receives the first set of parameters and the second set of parameters via the network,
receives a third set of parameters representing a device state associated with the local exercise device;
receives a fourth set of parameters representing a physiological state associated with a user of the local exercise device;
determines a physiological-state error based on a difference between the at least one physiological parameter of the first set of parameters and a corresponding physiological parameter of the fourth set of parameters;
determines a device-state error based on a difference between a first device parameter of the second set of parameters and a corresponding second device parameter of the third set of parameters;
generates one or more control parameters by applying one or more feedback control algorithms to the physiological-state error and the device-state error; and
transmits the one or more control parameters to an exercise device controller associated with the local exercise device;
wherein the exercise device controller controls the local exercise device using the received one or more control parameters to adjust one or more actuators of the local exercise device such that the corresponding physiological parameter of the fourth set of parameters tracks the at least one physiological parameter of the first set of parameters and the corresponding second device parameter of the third set of parameters tracks the first device parameter of the second set of parameters.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote operator is a trainer.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sets of parameters are forwarded over the Internet.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote exercise device and the local exercise device can be picked from any of the following: a bike, a treadmill, a rowing machine, an elliptical bike, a stair master, a variable resistance climber, or a vibration platform.
5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the remote exercise device is different than the local exercise device.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first set of parameters and the fourth set of parameters representing the physical state associated with the remote operator and the physiological state associated with the user of the local exercise device, respectively, are detected via in-situ noninvasive measurements.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first set of parameters are any of, or a combination of, the following: heart rate, skin conductance, breathing rate and respiratory patterns, aerobic state, blood oxygen level, brain wave emissions, stress measurements, calories, body or skin temperature, ocular patterns, gait patterns, foot impact, body movement and posture, audible and emitted sounds, gripping pressure, sweat, visual indicators, and parameters derived from combinations of measurements and calculations.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the second set of parameters are any of, or a combination of, the following: power, incline, speed, acceleration, distance, resistance, vibration, and step size.
9 . A system comprising:
(a) a processor associated with a local exercise device;
(b) a first set of sensors, the first set of sensors monitoring a physiological state associated with a user of the local exercise device and outputting a first set of parameters representing the physiological state;
(c) a second set of sensors, the second set of sensors monitoring a device state associated with the local exercise device and outputting a second set of parameters representing the device state;
(d) a network interface communicatively coupled to the processor, the network interface receiving, over a network, a third set of parameters and a fourth set of parameters, the third set of parameters representing a physical state associated with a remote operator, the third set of parameters comprising at least one physiological parameter, and the fourth set of parameters representing a device state associated with a remote exercise device;
(e) an immersion controller associated with a local exercise device;
wherein the immersion controller is associated with the local exercise device the immersion controller:
(i) receives the first set of parameters, the second set of parameters, the third set of parameters, and the fourth set of parameters;
(ii) determines a physiological-state error based on a difference between the at least one physiological parameter of the third set of parameters and a corresponding physiological parameter of the first set of parameters;
(iii) determines a device-state error based on a difference between a first device parameter of the fourth set of parameters and a corresponding second device parameter of the second set of parameters;
(iv) generates one or more control parameters by applying one or more feedback control algorithms to the physiological-state error and the device-state error; and
(v) transmits the one or more control parameters to an exercise device controller associated with the local exercise device;
wherein the exercise device controller controls the local exercise device using the received one or more control parameters to adjust one or more actuators of the local exercise device such that the corresponding physiological parameter of the first set of parameters tracks the at least one physiological parameter of the third set of parameters and the corresponding second device parameter of the second set of parameters tracks the first device parameter of the fourth set of parameters.
10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the immersion controller comprises:
at least a first control channel and a second control channel;
the first control channel receiving as input the third set of parameters representing the physical state associated with the remote operator and the first set of parameters representing the physiological state associated with the user of the local exercise device and outputting a fifth set of parameters; and
the second control channel receiving as input the fourth set of parameters representing the device state associated with the remote exercise device and the second set of parameters representing the device state associated with the local exercise device and outputting an sixth set of parameters,
wherein the fifth set of parameters and the sixth set of parameters collectively comprise the one or more control parameters.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein each control channel comprises a proportional integral (PI) controller.
12 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the remote operator is a trainer.
13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the third set of parameters and the fourth set of parameters are received over the Internet.
14 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the remote exercise device and the local exercise device are picked from any of the following: a bike, a treadmill, a rowing machine, an elliptical bike, a stair master, a variable resistance climber, or a vibration platform.
15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the remote exercise device is different than the local exercise device.
16 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the third set of parameters representing the physical state associated with the remote operator and the first set of parameters representing the physiological state associated with the user of the local exercise device are detected via in-situ noninvasive measurements.
17 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the first set of parameters are any of, or a combination of, the following: heart rate, skin conductance, breathing rate, and respiratory patterns, aerobic state, blood oxygen level, brain wave emissions, stress measurements, calories, body or skin temperature, ocular patterns, gait patterns, foot impact, body movement and posture, audible and emitted sounds, gripping pressure, sweat, visual indicators and parameters derived from combinations of measurements and calculations.
18 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the second set of parameters are any of, or a combination of, the following: power, incline, speed, acceleration, distance, resistance, vibration, and step size.
19 . A system comprising:
(a) a network interface receiving a first set of parameters and a second set of parameters, the first set of parameters representing a first physical state associated with a remote operator and the second set of parameters representing a first device state associated with a remote exercise device;
(b) a local exercise device;
(c) an exercise device controller associated with the local exercise device;
(d) an immersion controller associated with the local exercise device, the immersion controller comprising at least a first control channel and a second control channel,
the first control channel receiving as input the first set of parameters representing the first physical state associated with a remote operator and a third set of parameters representing a second physical state associated with a user of the local exercise device and outputting a first control channel output, wherein the first control channel output is generated by determining a physiological-state error based on a difference between a first physiological parameter of the first set of parameters and a corresponding second physiological parameter of the third set of parameters, and applying a feedback control algorithm to the physiological-state error; and
the second control channel receiving as input the second set of parameters representing the first device state associated with the remote exercise device and a fourth set of parameters representing a second device state associated with the local exercise device and outputting a second control channel output, wherein the second control channel output is generated by determining a device-state error based on a difference between a first device parameter of the second set of parameters and a corresponding second device parameter of the fourth set of parameters, and applying a feedback control algorithm to the device-state error;
wherein the immersion controller outputs the first control channel output and the second control channel output to the exercise device controller; and
(e) the exercise device controller controlling the local exercise device using the received first control channel output and the received second control channel output by setting a fifth set of parameters in the local exercise device based on the received first and second control channel outputs, the fifth set of parameters allowing the local exercise device to track both the first physical state of the remote operator and the first device state of the remote exercise device such that the user of the local exercise device is immersed in an experience of the remote operator, wherein the corresponding second physiological parameter tracks the first physiological parameter and the corresponding second device parameter tracks the first device parameter.
20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein each control channel comprises a proportional integral (PI) controller.
21 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the remote operator is a trainer.
22 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the first and second sets of parameters are received over the Internet.
23 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the remote exercise device and the local exercise device are picked from any of the following: a bike, a treadmill, a rowing machine, an elliptical bike, a stair master, a variable resistance climber, or a vibration platform.
24 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the remote exercise device is different than the local exercise device.
25 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the first set of parameters representing the first physical state associated with the remote operator and the third set of parameters representing the second physical state associated with the user of local exercise device are detected via in-situ noninvasive measurements.
26 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the first set of parameters are any of, or a combination of, the following: heart rate, skin conductance, breathing rate and respiratory patterns, aerobic state, blood oxygen level, brain wave emissions, stress measurements, calories, body or skin temperature, ocular patterns, gait patterns, foot impact, body movement and posture, audible and emitted sound patterns, gripping pressure, sweat, visual indicators and parameters derived from combinations of measurements and calculations.
27 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the second set of parameters are any of, or a combination of, the following: power, incline, speed, acceleration, distance, resistance, vibration, and step size.