This sensor is equipped with circuitry that supports auto-ID. When used with
LabQuest 2, LabQuest, LabQuest Mini, LabPro, Go! Link, SensorDAQ, TI-Nspire™
Lab Cradle, EasyLink, or CBL 2™, the data-collection software identifies the sensor
and uses pre-defined parameters to configure an experiment appropriate to the
recognized sensor.
How the Exercise Heart Rate Monitor Works
The Exercise Heart Rate Monitor consists of a transmitter belt with an elastic strap
and a plug-in receiver. The transmitter belt is worn just below the chest and held in
place by an elastic strap. The plug-in receiver connects to any of the interfaces listed
above. The transmitter detects each heartbeat through two electrodes and transmits
heart rate information to the plug-in receiver with a low frequency electromagnetic
field. The plug-in receiver wirelessly receives the transmission, and passes a
3-volt pulse for each detected heart beat to the Vernier interface. The reception range
of the plug-in receiver is 80–100 cm or about 3 feet.
In general, you can use the Exercise Heart Rate Monitor as you would any other
sensor connected to your interface. You can plot a pulse for each heart beat and
analyze the time between the peaks to determine the heart rate. Often it is more
convenient to use a program that simply displays the heart rate in beats per minute
on the screen. Our programs do this for all of our interfaces.
Calibration Information
The Exercise Heart Rate Monitor does not need to be, nor can it be, calibrated.
Factory calibrations provide very accurate heart rate values.
Suggested Experiments
•Compare the heart rate of different individuals; athletes and sedentary people.
•Check a person’s heart rate before, during, and after a short period of vigorous
activity doing jumping jacks, a step test, or running flights of stairs.
•Monitor the recovery rate; that is, how fast a person’s heart rate returns to normal
after exercise.
•Check baroreceptor reflex response for changes in a subject’s heart rate when
reclined, sitting, or standing.
•Check a person’s heart rate before and after eating or at different times of the day.
•Monitor a person’s heart rate as they hold their breath.
Suggestions for Using the Exercise Heart Rate Monitor
Tips to insure successful data collection with the Exercise Heart Rate Monitor
include:
•Make sure that the belt fits snugly around the chest and is resting directly against
the subject’s skin. You may need to reposition the transmitter left or right, or
place it lower or higher on the torso. Make sure to re-wet the skin-belt interface
with the saline solution each time the transmitter is repositioned.
•Be sure the receiver is positioned within 80 cm of the transmitter belt. This is the
maximum transmission range of the transmitter on the chest belt.
