Posture - A connected chair

Introduction

Sitting on the front of the chair seat and touching the top of the chairback seems to be a good “bad posture” pattern. If system could detect pressure on such parts of the chair, we could remind the user to adjust the sitting posture.

Objectives

Aim: Improve user sitting posture at the desk

Main Objective: Detect bad sitting posture and notify the user

Secondary Objective: Detect long period of sitting and suggest streching / break time

Bonus Objective: Generate adjustable heat from the seat

Personal Objectives: Experience, Learning (electronic, DIY ,3D Printing)

Main Requirements:

  • Security (no fire)

  • Confort (no feel of any device while sitting)

  • 3D Printed elements when possible

  • Customization (sensor sensitivity, replacable chair seat ?)

Identifies difficulties

  • Avoid setting the chairseat on fire

  • Accuracy in bad posture detection (should not consider every move as matching a bad posture pattern)

  • Power (batteries or wires to the desk)

  • Manage human physiological differences ( short/long legs, light/less light people, large / tight bottom, feet touching floor or not…)

Main steps

Related to main objective

  • Definition of bad & good posture pattern on chair seat and chairback

  • Define sensors to detect patterns with real user sitting

  • Notify bad posture in potential various ways

    • Bluetoothly activated LED on the desk

    • Vibration from the seat

    • Electric shock (really motivated people)

Related to secondary Objective

  • Timer that counts sitting time

  • Notify long period of sitting

Related to bonus objective

  • Find heat generation system

  • Adapt it to the chair

Main parts to build

The system will be composed of :

  • Weight distribution sensors integrated in the chair seat and the chairback.

  • Wireless data exchange module

  • Vibration generators

  • Heat generator