The application of dynamometers, including treadmills, exercise bicycles, and arm-crank ergometers have been used for many years in the field of exercise physiology to conduct biomechanical and physiological analyses of locomotion. The purpose of this research project was to create a computer controlled wheelchair dynamometer that would simulate varying road and track conditions. Two Hewlett Packard (HP) electronic loads and power supplies, along with two direct current (DC) motors were interfaced to the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) two-drum wheelchair dynamometer. The software, created in Visual BASIC, was written to control the load resistances and power supply voltages, manipulated by scroll bar movements. The computer controlled wheelchair dynamometer allowed the researcher to create a simulation of uphill and downhill training conditions, while simultaneously providing the means to execute valid exercise tests and kinematic analyses.
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