Remote Quantification of Workout Energy Expenditure with a Cell Phone Camera

A method based on intelligent video processing is introduced here to objectively assess the intensity and energy expenditure of popular indoor workouts, including sit up, push up, jumping jack, and squat. The method is based a smart phone camera, which can count the repetition, assess the intensity level, and quantify the energy expenditure of the workouts. It uses an algorithm that analyzes body movement and body's effort to overcome gravity in hierarchical layers, each with an increasing level of details. The energy expenditure values for different types of workouts at different intensities determined by the method are compared with a gold standard indirect calorimetry apparatus worn by the study subject.