An exercise bike ergometer designed for general accessibility

• Published in: Journal of exercise physiology online 2005-12, Vol.8 (6), p.1-9
• Main Authors: Pope, R, Millin, J, Mehta, A, Swift, J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1097-9751; 1097-9751

An Accessible Exercise Bike Ergometer usable by persons of various ailments as well as those without was built. The project began with a commercially available exercise bike (NordicTrack SL710) [1] to which modifications were completed to increase access to and usability of the bike to a diverse number of populations. The modifications included; seat assist, power adjustable seat, arm motion exercise, walk-through frame, lighted pedals, and improved user interface. The seat assist provides mechanical support to individuals who can no longer mount a bike unassisted due to insufficient upper or lower body strength. The power seat allows easy seat adjustment as well as allows unlimited positioning of the seat for users. The arm motion exercise allows a more full body workout than a pedal bike alone would provide. The walkthrough frame allows unobstructed access to the seat. The lighted pedals allow them to be easily seen by users of low vision and help initiate motion for users with Parkinson's disease. The improved user interface addresses low vision and colorblind users. A prototype was built and tested using human subjects, and according to a survey completed by the subjects after testing asking them to rate their experience using a 1-10 scale, no significant difference in the accessibility was recorded between control and test subjects, demonstrating general accessibility. An increase in accessibility verses standard exercise equipment was observed for the test subject group, demonstrating an improvement for patients with ailments.