INFINITELY ADJUSTABLE RESISTANCE AND MICROPROCESSOR CON- TROLLED EXERCISE DEVICE

THE LATEST GENERATION OF EXERCISE EQUIPMENT FOR FITNESS CEN-TERS USES NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT IS PARTICULARLY SUITED TO DIS-ABLED INDIVIDUALS. RATHER THAN OPERATING AGAINST A RESIST- ANCE IS PROVIDED BY ADJUSTABLE HYDRAULIC OR ELECTRICAL POWERTHROUGH A MAGNETIC BRAKE. FOR DISABLED PERSONS, THIS MEANS THAT THE RESISTANCE CAN BE TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF A PARTICULAR MUSCLE GROUP IN SPECIFIC FORCE REQUIREMENTS RATHER THANBY GROSS INCREMENTAL WEIGHTS. THESE DEVICES ARE TYPICALLY CONTROLLED BY MICROPROCESSORS WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF MONITOR- ING THE OPTIMUM NUMBER OF REPETITIONS AND MOVEMENT SPEED. MICROPROCESSORS CONTROL IS A BENEFIT TO DISABLED PERSONS IN MANY WAYS. THE FIRST WAY IS THAT A PROGRAM GEARED TO AND INDIVIDUAL IS STORED IN MEMORY AND CAN BE INDEPENDENTLY AC- CESSED THROUGH A KEYPAD WITHOUT NEED FOR ATTENDANT HELP. THE PERSONALIZED PROGRAM CAN ALSO PROVIDE DIFFERENT RESIS- TANCE IF, FOR EXAMPLE, ONE ARM HAS GREATER STRENGTH THAN THE OTHER. THE PERSONALIZED PROGRAM CAN ALSO PROVIDE DIFFERENT RESISTANCES IF, FOR EXAMPLE, ONE ARM HAS GREATER STRENGTH THAN THE OTHER. THE USER CAN INCREASE OR DECREASE REPETITIONS OR RESISTANCE THROUGH THE KEYPAD WITHOUT HAVING TO DISMOUNT AND ADJUST PHYSICAL WEIGHT AS WITH NAUTILUS OR DAVID EQUIPMENT. BEST OF ALL, THE SAME MACHINE CAN INSTANTLYACCOMMONDATE TO A SERIES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH WIDELY DIFFER- ENT PROGRAMS. (E) EXERCISE DEVICE FOR VARIABLY DISABLED PERSONS (F)