A Resistive-Film Based Force Transducer for the Study of Exercise,
Abstract
A new pressure sensitive resistive film was used to construct a pair of force sensing pedals designed to fit a Universal leg press machine. The sensors were calibrated by recording their output voltages on a microcomputer via an A/D converter sampling at 100 Hz as weight was placed on each pedal's top surface. Third order polynomial equations were fit to the data and resulted in correlation coefficients between actual and predicted force of .9965 for the right pedal and .9918 for the left. Within day reliability coefficients were .9997 and .9994 for the right and left pedals respectively, while across day reliability coefficients were .9989 and .9877. The upper limit of accurate force transduction is over 5000 N per pedal. The pedal transducer is reliable, valid, inexpensive, and relatively easy to work with. The resistance film requires considerably less engineering than do strain gages in the construction of transducers to measure forces applied to a flat surface. Keywords: Pressure measurements; Pressure switches; Exercise(Physiology).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA192601
Entities
People
- Everett A. Harman
- Peter N. Frykman
- Richard M. Rosenstein
- Stephen P. Mullen
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine