Cycling Segments Multimodal Analysis and Classification Using Neural Networks

This paper presents methodology for the processing of GPS and heart rate signals acquired during long-term physical activities. The data analysed include geo-positioning and heart rate multichannel signals recorded for 272.2 h of cycling across the Andes mountains over a 5694-km long expedition. The proposed computational methods include multimodal data de-noising, visualization, and analysis in order to determine specific biomedical features. The results include the correspondence between the heart rate and slope for downhill and uphill cycling and the mean heart rate evolution on flat segments: a regression coefficient of -0.014 bpm/km related to altitude. The classification accuracy of selected cycling features by neural networks, support vector machine, and k-nearest neighbours methods is between 91.3% and 98.6%. The proposed methods allow the analysis of data during physical activities, enabling an efficient human-machine interaction.