Improved regression models for ventilation estimation based on chest and abdomen movements

Non-invasive estimation of minute ventilation is important for quantifying the intensity of physical activity of individuals. In this paper, several improved regression models are presented, based on the measurement of chest and abdomen movements from sensor belts worn by subjects (n = 50) engaged in 14 types of physical activity. Five linear models involving a combination of 11 features were developed, and the effects of different model training approaches and window sizes for computing the features were investigated. The performance of the models was evaluated using experimental data collected during the physical activity protocol. The predicted minute ventilation was compared to the criterion ventilation measured using a bidirectional digital volume transducer housed in a respiratory gas exchange system. The results indicate that the inclusion of breathing frequency and the use of percentile points instead of interdecile ranges over a 60 s window size reduced error by about 43%, when applied to the classical two-degrees-of-freedom model. The mean percentage error of the minute ventilation estimated for all the activities was below 7.5%, verifying reasonably good performance of the models and the applicability of the wearable sensing system for minute ventilation estimation during physical activity.