Predicting runners’ oxygen consumption on flat terrain using accelerometer data

Sammanfattning: This project aimed to use accelerometer data and KPIs to predict the oxygen consumption of runners’ during exercises on flat terrain. Based on many studies researching the relationship between oxygen consumption and running economy and a small set of data, a model was constructed which had a prediction accuracy of 81.1% on one individual. Problems encountered during the research include issues with comparing data from different systems, model nonlinearity and data noise. These problems were solved using transformation of data in the R software, model re-specification and identifying outlying observations that could be viewed as noise. The results from this project should be seen as a proof of concept for further studies, showing that it is possible to predict oxygen consumption using a set of accelerometer data and KPIs. With a larger sample set this model can be validated and furthermore implemented in Racefox’s current service as a calibration method of individual results and an early warning system to avoid running economy deficiency.