Wearable sensor device for posture monitoring and analysis during daily activities: A preliminary study

Abstract

The increase in technological advancements in recent years has led to the emergence of a new lifestyle. Although being assisted by machines for small-scale tasks in daily housework makes daily life easier, this has caused people to reduce their daily active movements and negatively affects human health. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the conversion of the working style to the home environment, working hours spent at the desk are more than ever. Due to the prolongation of the working time, the employees stay in the same position more inactive, thus their muscles weaken and they start to have muscle disease. Weaknesses in the muscles have occurred to the formation of postural problems in people. In our study, a smart vest system was developed to detect and control posture disorders. The proposed system is designed to recommend the most suitable exercises to avoid any physical discomforts. It is also aimed to detect hunched posture by collecting data on the person wearing the vest through sensors. Besides, it is encouraged to correct the posture disorder by warning the person audibly during the hunched posture. The experiments conducted with eight participants showed that the proposed system warns the users with necessary posture corrections, proving its potential use.

Keywords

• Posture disorder
• rehabilitation
• Wearable sensor
• Wearable vest

References

1. 1. Şen C, Kılıç A, and Öndoğan Z., Endüstri 4.0 ve Moda Sektöründeki Uygulamaları. Turkish Journal of Fashion Design and Management, 2020. 2(2): p. 53-65 (in Turkish).
2. 2. Vural Ö, Eler S, and Güzel N.A., Masa Başı Çalışanlarda Fiziksel Aktivite Düzeyi ve Yaşam Kalitesi İlişkisi. SPORMETRE Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 2010. 8(2): p. 69-75 (in Turkish).
3. 3. Hamera, E., Goetz, J., Brown, C., and Van Sciver, A., Safety considerations when promoting exercise in individuals with serious mental illness. Psychiatry research, 2010. 178(1): p. 220-222.
4. 4. Cancela, J., Pastorino, M., Arredondo, M. T., Nikita, K. S., Villagra, F., and Pastor, M. A., Feasibility study of a wearable system based on a wireless body area network for gait assessment in Parkinson’s disease patients. Sensors, 2014. 14(3): p. 4618-4633.
5. 5. Puranik, A., Kanthi, M., and Nayak, A. V., Wearable device for yogic breathing with real-time heart rate and posture monitoring. Journal of Medical Signals and Sensors, 2021. 11(4): 253.
6. 6. Koçak O, Kaya H, and Üncü Y. İnsan bilgisayar etkileşimi ile postür analizi ve uyarıcı cihazının geliştirilmesi. in Sağlık & Bilim: Medikal Araştırmalar. 2021. Efe Akademi, p. 53-62 (in Turkish).
7. 7. Pandian, P. S., Mohanavelu, K., Safeer, K. P., Kotresh, T. M., Shakunthala, D. T., Gopal, P., and Padaki, V. C.Smart, Vest: Wearable multi-parameter remote physiological monitoring system. Medical engineering & physics, 2008. 30(4): p. 466-477.
8. 8. Çalışkan, T. and Esen, H., Yaşlanan nüfus gereksinimlerine yönelik: evde sağlik hizmetleri 2020 yılı değerlendirmesi eğitim araştırma hastanesi örneği. Avrasya Sosyal ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2021. 8(3): p. 514-522 (in Turkish).

9. 9. Akbulut, F. P., Akan, A., Smart wearable patient tracking systems. in 2015 Medical Technologies National Conference (TIPTEKNO), IEEE, 2015. Bodrum, Muğla: p. 1-4.
10. 10. Akbulut, F. P., Özgür, Ö., and Cınar, I., e-Vital: A wrist-worn wearable sensor device for measuring vital parameters. in 2019 Medical Technologies Congress (TIPTEKNO), IEEE, 2019. Kuşadası, İzmir: p. 1-4.
11. 11. Ercan D.H., Çocukluk Çağından İtibaren Görülen Postür (Duruş) Bozuklukları, [cited 2020 21 October]; Available from: https://montessori.kapadokya.edu.tr/makaleler/cocukluk-cagindan-itibaren-gorulen-postur-durusbozukluklari (in Turkish).
12. 12. Külcü, D. G., Gülşen, G., and Altunok, E. Ç., Short-term efficacy of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy on pain and functional level in knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled study. Archives of Rheumatology, 2009. 24(3): p. 144-148.
13. 13. Tlili, F., Haddad, R., Bouallegue, R., and Shubair, R., Design and architecture of smart belt for real time posture monitoring. Internet of Things, 2022. 17(100472): p. 1-12.
14. 14. Shi, Q., Dong, B., He, T., Sun, Z., Zhu, J., Zhang, Z., and Lee, C., Progress in wearable electronics/photonics—Moving toward the era of artificial intelligence and internet of things. InfoMat, 2020. 2(6): p. 1131-1162.
15. 15. Heo, J. S., Eom, J., Kim, Y. H., and Park, S. K., Recent progress of textile‐based wearable electronics: a comprehensive review of materials, devices, and applications. Small, 2018. 14(3): 1703034.
16. 16. Song, Y., Min, J., Yu, Y., Wang, H., Yang, Y., Zhang, H., and Gao, W., Wireless battery-free wearable sweat sensor powered by human motion. Science advances, 2020. 6(40): eaay9842.
17. 17. Seneviratne, S., Hu, Y., Nguyen, T., Lan, G., Khalifa, S., Thilakarathna, K., ... and Seneviratne, A., A survey of wearable devices and challenges. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 2017. 19(4): p. 2573-2620.
18. 18. Zhang, J., Zhang, H., Dong, C., Huang, F., Liu, Q., and Song, A., Architecture and design of a wearable robotic system for body posture monitoring, correction, and rehabilitation assist. International Journal of Social Robotics, 2019. 11(3): p. 423-436.
19. 19. Park, J. H., Kang, S. Y., Lee, S. G., and Jeon, H. S., The effects of smart phone gaming duration on muscle activation and spinal posture: Pilot study. Physiotherapy theory and practice, 2017. 33(8): p. 661-669.
20. 20. Yeom, H., Lim, J., Yoo, S. H., and Lee, W., A new posture-correcting system using a vector angle model for preventing forward head posture. Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment, 2014. 28(sup1): p. 6-13.
21. 21. Low, E., Sam, T. H., Tee, K. S., Rahim, R. A., Saim, H., Zakaria, W. N. W., ... and Soon, C. F., Development of a wireless and ambulatory posture monitoring system. International Journal of Integrated Engineering, 2020. 12(2): p. 170-176.
22. 22. Seneviratne, S., Hu, Y., Nguyen, T., Lan, G., Khalifa, S., Thilakarathna, K., ... and Seneviratne, A., A survey of wearable devices and challenges. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 2017. 19(4): p. 2573-2620.
23. 23. Ardito, M., Mascolo, F., Valentini, M., and Dell’Olio, F. Low-Cost Wireless Wearable System for Posture Monitoring. Electronics, 2021. 10(21): p. 2569.
24. 24. Rahmati-Ahmadabad, S., and Hosseini, F., Exercise against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19): Does workout intensity matter? (A mini review of some indirect evidence related to obesity). Obesity medicine, 2020. 19(100245): p. 1-3.
25. 25. Zhang, J., Zhang, H., Dong, C., Huang, F., Liu, Q., and Song, A., Architecture and design of a wearable robotic system for body posture monitoring, correction, and rehabilitation assist. International Journal of Social Robotics, 2019. 11(3): p. 423-436.
26. 26. Ardito, M., Mascolo, F., Valentini, M., and Dell’Olio, F. Low-Cost Wireless Wearable System for Posture Monitoring. Electronics, 2021. 10(21): p. 2569.
27. 27. Zhao, Y., You, Y., Design and data analysis of wearable sports posture measurement system based on Internet of Things. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 2021. 60(1): p. 691-701.
28. 28. Salamon, M., Does It Hurt When I Do This?: An Irreverent Guide to Understanding Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation. 2021, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
29. 29. Kaynak, K. Ö., Uluğtekin, N. M., Çalışma ortamındaki fiziksel faktörlerin ergonomik analizi :Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Hastanesi Örneği. Mühendislik Bilimleri ve Tasarım Dergisi, 2017. 6(1): p. 319-325 (in Turkish).
30. 30. Karakuş, S., Kılıç, F., Postür ve sportif performans. Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi , 2006. 14 (1): p. 309-322.
31. 31. Demirci, F. B., Sağlıklı bireylerde oturmada farklı ayak pozisyonlarının rahatsızlık hissi, ağırlık aktarımı ve postür üzerine biyomekanik etkileri 2020, İnönü University: Turkey. p. 35 (in Turkish).
32. 32. Yücesan, b., Özkan, Ö., Covid 19 pandemi sürecinin sağlık yönetimi açısından değerlendirilmesi. Avrasya Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 2020. 3(covid-19): p. 134-139 (in Turkish).