My entry for the Parallax MicroMedic contest is a device which I call the SMERTbike. SMERT is an acronym for Smart Medical Exercise machine for use in Rehabilitation and Therapy.  The SMERTbike is designed as the internal electronics of a smart stationary bike. The system is capable of measuring a patient’s vital signs (body temperature, ambient temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate) and automatically adjusting the bike’s performance based on the sensor information, patient information, and user adjustable settings. The project that I am submitting is just the electronics and sensors; it is NOT mounted in a stationary bike even though it is designed to be. In place of the sensors and electromechanical hardware that would normally be inside of a standard stationary bike, I am using simulated variables and a remote to manually adjust them.

In terms of hardware, the SMERTbike system uses a Parallax Propeller microcontroller as its "beating heart". The Propeller is mounted in the PropBOE PCB. There is an 8GB MicroSD card inserted into the PropBOE’s slot. The SD card stores 10 text files which contain the patient profiles. The PropBOE outputs video through the VGA connector. Mounted on the PropBOE’s breadboard is the Polar Wearlink heart rate receiver. The rest of the circuitry (mounted on an external breadboard) includes a 38Khz IR remote receiver, the LM34 temperature sensor, a LED, a jumper that will enable/disable output to the Parallax Serial Terminal, and a connector leading to the body temperature sensor (AD592). The pressure (breath) sensor, PropBOE, external breadboard, and the piezo buzzer are mounted onto a metal base.