Improving Posture and Relief to Lower Back Pain
Format
SOECS Senior Project Demonstration
Faculty Mentor Name
Huihui Xu
Faculty Mentor Department
Bioengineering
Abstract/Artist Statement
The Lumbago team aims to design a harness device to promote proper posture and relieve chronic lower back pain in adults. The harness is designed to be worn on the user’s torso and is comprised of three major components: a back support, a posture sensor, and a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit. To accomplish the design goal, the user’s posture will first be measured by an accelerometer which detects angle changes in three dimensions. The angle sensor is connected to a microcontroller which is programmed to carry out specific tasks of setting desired posture angle boundaries. Once the body angle reaches a pre-determined boundary, the microcontroller sends out signals to trigger the TENS unit to provide neural stimulation, which in turn help reducing back pain. The TENS unit is connected to the user’s skin through non-invasive electrode pads. The posture sensor and TENS unit are embedded within the material of the posture brace, serving as an all-in-one solution to relieving the user of their lower back pain.
Location
School of Engineering & Computer Science
Start Date
5-5-2018 3:30 PM
End Date
5-5-2018 4:30 PM
Improving Posture and Relief to Lower Back Pain
School of Engineering & Computer Science
The Lumbago team aims to design a harness device to promote proper posture and relieve chronic lower back pain in adults. The harness is designed to be worn on the user’s torso and is comprised of three major components: a back support, a posture sensor, and a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit. To accomplish the design goal, the user’s posture will first be measured by an accelerometer which detects angle changes in three dimensions. The angle sensor is connected to a microcontroller which is programmed to carry out specific tasks of setting desired posture angle boundaries. Once the body angle reaches a pre-determined boundary, the microcontroller sends out signals to trigger the TENS unit to provide neural stimulation, which in turn help reducing back pain. The TENS unit is connected to the user’s skin through non-invasive electrode pads. The posture sensor and TENS unit are embedded within the material of the posture brace, serving as an all-in-one solution to relieving the user of their lower back pain.