The Energy Cost of Combat Engineer Tasks,
Abstract
Canadian combat engineers performed abatis (blocking a road by felling trees), minelaying and road cratering for 8 hours each day on four consecutive days. Energy expenditure was estimated from heart rate continuously recorded using the VITALOG personal monitoring system (PMS-8). The average heart rates were below 120 bpm for all three combat engineer tasks indicating that, for these subjects, energy expenditure did not exceed 35-40% of their VO2max. Since abatis, minelaying and cratering are considered to be the most physically demanding tasks performed by combat engineers, it seems safe to conclude that the average energy expenditure for sustained operations will be at, or below, this level. This experiment also provided an opportunity to evaluate the PMS-8 as a means of collecting physiological data in a non-intrusive manner during military maneuvers. The system proved to be very robust, reliable and, because data collection is continuous, ideal for intermittent work of varying intensity. In addition, the PMS-8 appears to have considerable potential as a means of monitoring the effect of sleep deprivation and fatigue on the work/recovery cycle in sustained operations. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA161861
Entities
People
- T. T. Romet
- W. S. Myles
Organizations
- DRDC Toronto