Embedded Files
We've got your back
We've got your back
Video
Video
Description
Description
Thesis Statement
Thesis Statement
Posture Perfect aims to make the user aware of their posture when sitting, to avoid pain and injury.
Abstract
Abstract
Posture plays a big role in physical and mental health. To promote this, Posture Perfect encourages healthier sitting habits. Poor posture can lead to neck or back pain. Since the start of Covid-19, more individuals have been working from home, sitting in the same chair all day long, which makes this an issue of current and novel importance. Studies from The National Institutes of Health (NIH) say that “Self-reported postural awareness” can lead to “improvements … associated with reduced pain in patients…” Posture Perfect seeks to provide users with that postural self-awareness. Posture Perfect, which is more specifically a position-tracking add-on to any chair, has an array of buttons located strategically within the chair back. Using data from the buttons, the Posture Perfect will detect how the user is sitting and will cue them to improve their sitting posture through an LED.
Background
Background
Problem
Problem
Too many people sit with poor posture
From our survey of 50 people, only one person believed they sat with good posture more than half the time. Additionally, As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more individuals have begun to work or learn from home. Since working or learning from home has become mainstream during the last year, posture-mechanics-related issues have become more common since March 2020.
Bad posture can lead to many problems and injuries
Sitting with bad posture for prolonged periods can lead to neck pain, back pain, headaches, poor sleep, digestive issues, and lack of motivation. It can add to stress and fatigue and in the long term it can cause serious musculoskeletal disorders. If someone's posture is not fixed, then physical therapy for their back maybe necessary.
Good posture leads to good health!
Aside from avoiding all the problems that result from bad posture, good posture leads to increased lung capacity and a taller appearance. Studies also show that good posture can help people feel more positive, have more self-confidence, and recall positive memories more easily.
Solution
Solution
To solve the persisting problem, we created the Posture Perfect. Posture Perfect is a chair sleeve that visually notifies the user, using LEDs, when their posture needs to be corrected. Through online research, we've concluded that although there are multiple ways to have good posture, the most commonly accepted one is sitting at the very back of your chair with your back pressed against the back of the chair.
To detect if a person is sitting with good or bad posture, we placed buttons at critical points on the back: behind and between the shoulder blades, and at the lower lumbar area of your back. The placement of the buttons in their respective locations is to ensure the user is sitting in an upright, non-slouching position where they're using the back of the chair.
96% of survey applicants said that if they were notified when their posture is off, they would correct their posture. This gives us confidence that there would be a reasonably sized market desire for our product.
Market Research
Market Research
User Profile
User Profile
Prospective users would be anyone who spends extended periods of time sitting in a chair behind a desk. This includes people with office jobs, students or employees who zoom from home, and gamers. Posture Perfect would be sold worldwide as a quality of life product.
Existing Products and Competitors
Existing Products and Competitors
On the market today, there are existing add-ons to chairs or chairs with built in features such as sculpted foam or cushioned pads may force your back into positions that maybe comfortable for the majority of people but not for every one. The Posture Perfect allows the user to place the modules in any location they would like allowing them to sit properly and comfortably. Another group of existing products are product which are attached to the user instead of to the chair. When the product is attached to the user it has a higher likelihood of breaking or becoming damaged as the user may exert force against a sensitive instrument. As some of these existing products use accelerometers or other angular or position sensors to measure the users' posture, the Posture Perfect uses modules which are design to be durable and flexible to the extent of preventing pains to the user or damage to the components.
We talked with Dr. Levin, a chiropractor, and asked her what the crucial aspects for good posture are. She said that first of all, there isn't a true standard form for good posture, meaning everyone's back and spine are different shapes and sizes. The reason that most ergonomic chairs aren't always good for you is because they don't always support your individual sized back/spine. Likewise, the high end custom chairs cost the same as a new pony. (source?)
Design and Methodology
Design and Methodology
Design Goals
Design Goals
Software:
Takes the information from all modules on the back of the chair and convert them into a user-friendly visual representation of the current position of the user's back
Hardware:
There will be 3D printed modules placed on the back of the chair
Each module contains two buttons
there will be two rows of modules:
one row along the shoulders with 3 button modules
one row along the lumbar area with 2 button modules
Wiring
we wired our own and gate and
Single button module
Brainstormed Alternative Solutions
Brainstormed Alternative Solutions
Several ideas we considered as solutions but for various reason found them unfit include:
Building the sensors and electronics into a vest to wear
It wouldn't look "stylish" or would look bad if someone had to be formal on a zoom meeting.
Using linear potentiometers to measure when the user would lean to the side
the potentiometers would "stab" the user in the back making the chair uncomfortable
Building the sensors and electronics into the chair and then selling it as an all-in-one
A chair sleeve is more enticing because users can put it onto their favorite chair, chair at their office rather than replacing it, making it a cheaper option
The chair would physically adjust your posture
This is too complex for our time budget and knowledge
Build the prototype with breadboards
This would ruin the cushioning of the back of the chair, we chose to solder the buttons instead
Having a buzzer notification instead of a light
Because a large percentage of our intended user would be working, we didn't want to noisily interrupt them if they're in an important meeting
Using one cushion to trigger both button modules at the same time
Was not reliable to be used in the final prototype
Using weight sensors to detect someone's posture
it was unnecessary since buttons could do the same thing for much cheaper
Decision Process for Choosing Our Solution
Decision Process for Choosing Our Solution
Our decision to pursue our solution is multi-faceted:
As a group, we weighed the pros and cons of different components, like weight sensors vs. buttons.
Our considerations included the cost-effectiveness of each component and whether there was a more suitable and more versatile replacement.
We also strived to provide a comfortable experience for our users.
We spent several days reviewing the possible pathways to solve the problem before arriving to our solution.
Diagrams
Diagrams
Engineering Drawings
Engineering Drawings
Flow Chart
Flow Chart
System Block Diagram
System Block Diagram
Circuit Diagram (for one button module)
Circuit Diagram (for one button module)
Code
Code
Button Module Code:
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
}
void module(int BUTTON, int LEDG, int LEDR)
{
pinMode(BUTTON, INPUT);
pinMode(LEDG, OUTPUT);
pinMode(LEDR, OUTPUT);
switch (digitalRead(BUTTON))
{
case 1:
digitalWrite(LEDG, HIGH);
digitalWrite(LEDR, LOW);
break;
case 0:
digitalWrite(LEDG, LOW);
digitalWrite(LEDR, HIGH);
break;
default:
break;
}
}
void loop()
{
module(7, 13, 19);
module(6, 12, 18);
module(5, 11, 17);
module(4, 10, 16);
module(3, 9, 15);
module(2, 8, 14);
}
Prototype
Prototype
Single module & LED before on chair
Posture Perfect in use!
Fully built product on chair (we used an old T-shirt and Velcro as the chair sleeve)
Bill of Materials and Budget
Bill of Materials and Budget
Discussion
Discussion
Testing And Reflect
Testing And Reflect
After completing our project we got helpful tips from outsiders (parents, teachers, and other engineers) on how to improve our project. Some include:
It was not clear enough how our product is adjustable, we only alluded to it.
We updated design goals to clearly say how you can adjust the chair to comply with your individual back
It was unclear whether or not we were selling the product with a chair
We emphasized that we were not selling a chair with our product
After through testing Posture Perfect now works perfectly according to our design goals
Future Work
Future Work
Create an app where people can view graphs about how often they sit with good posture to track their data
Include a sitting timer that will buzz at you every half hour to stand and stretch because a Cornell University study found that “sitting for longer than 30 minutes has negative effects on your body, including an increase in musculoskeletal problems such as back and neck problems"
House LEDs in a hand-held-device shaped like a back to make it look nicer
Use an Arduino Uno instead of a mega board for cost reasons
Add additional modules for the neck
Design Iteration For future
Design Iteration For future
Three cushions put over the sensors for style and comfort
Updated module that will be more consistent (the separated cushions press each button more precisely)
Business Model
Business Model
We will create an online store to sell our product online and form partnerships to sell our product in major retailers, such as Bed Bath & Beyond. Our initial business model will be direct to consumer from us. The Posture Perfect will retail at an MSRP of $80.00 USD
Sources and Citations
Sources and Citations
Cramer, H., Mehling, W. E., Saha, F. J., Dobos, G., & Lauche, R. (2018). Postural awareness and its relation to pain: validation of an innovative instrument measuring awareness of body posture in patients with chronic pain. BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 19(1), 109. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5889545/.
Reducing Occupational Sitting Time and Improving Worker Health: The Take-a-Stand Project, 2011
Pronk NP, Katz AS, Lowry M, Payfer JR. Reducing Occupational Sitting Time and Improving Worker Health: The Take-a-Stand Project, 2011. Prev Chronic Dis 2012;9:110323. DOI: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2012/11_0323.htm.
Posturite: Bad Posture Positions
Solutions for bad posture. (n.d.). Posturite. Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.posturite.co.uk/help-advice/useful-resources/learning-guides/bad-posture-solutions.
A Smart System for Sitting Posture Detection Based on Force Sensors and Mobile Application
Slavomir Matuska, Martin Paralic, Robert Hudec, "A Smart System for Sitting Posture Detection Based on Force Sensors and Mobile Application", Mobile Information Systems, vol. 2020, Article ID 6625797, 13 pages, 2020. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/misy/2020/6625797/
“Chronic Back Pain.” Health Policy Institute, George Town University, 13 Feb. 2019, https://www.hpi.georgetown.edu/backpain/.
4 ways to turn good Posture into less back pain
Publishing, H. (n.d.). 4 ways to turn good Posture into less back pain. Retrieved March 22, 2021, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/4-ways-to-turn-good-posture-into-less-back-pain
A Smart System for Sitting Posture Detection Based on Force Sensors and Mobile Application
Slavomir Matuska, Martin Paralic, Robert Hudec, "A Smart System for Sitting Posture Detection Based on Force Sensors and Mobile Application", Mobile Information Systems, vol. 2020, Article ID 6625797, 13 pages, 2020. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/misy/2020/6625797/
“6 Effects of Poor Posture on the Body: Integrated Rehab.”
“6 Effects of Poor Posture on the Body: Integrated Rehab.” Integrated Rehabilitation Services, 18 Feb. 2019, integrehab.com/blog/back-pain/6-effects-poor-posture/.
The Team
The Team
Josh
Schulman
Josh
Schulman
Project Manager
Circuit Designer
Emily
Seligson
Emily
Seligson
Project Researcher
Video Editor
Zane
Roshe
Zane
Roshe
Project Designer
Prototype Constructor
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks
To our CIJE Mentor, Adam Jerozolim
To our Teachers, Dr. Castle, and Mr. Berson
To our School, Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy of Connecticut
Contact Us
Contact Us
Josh Schulman: jschulman@bcha-ct.org
Emily Seligson: eseligson@bcha-ct.org
Zane Roshe: zroshe@bcha-ct.org
Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy: srich@bcha-ct.org or 203-883-8970
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