# Estimation of ventilatory thresholds during exercise using respiratory wearable sensors

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a wearable device that can estimate ventilatory thresholds during exercise, making it possible to assess physical performance outside of clinical settings.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is a wearable respiratory system that estimates ventilatory thresholds during exercise, validated against ergospirometry.

## Key findings

- The wearable system accurately predicts ventilatory thresholds in healthy adults.
- Population mean values from the wearable align with traditional physiological variables used for exercise prescription.
- The system enables VT estimation during ramp tests outside of laboratory settings.

## Abstract

Ventilatory thresholds (VTs) are key physiological parameters used to evaluate physical performance and determine aerobic and anaerobic transitions during exercise. Current assessment of these parameters requires ergospirometry, limiting evaluation to laboratory or clinical settings. In this work, we introduce a wearable respiratory system that continuously tracks breathing during exercise and estimates VTs during ramp tests. We validate the respiratory rate and VTs predictions in 17 healthy adults using ergospirometry analysis. In addition, we use the wearable system to evaluate VTs in 107 recreational athletes during ramp tests outside the laboratory and show that the mean population values agree with physiological variables traditionally used to exercise prescription. We envision that respiratory wearables can be useful in determining aerobic and anaerobic parameters with promising applications in health telemonitoring and human performance.