Smart Seat/Smart Ass
About this project
This prototype uses sensors to alert users or caregivers of excessive pressure through an app. The prototype will be able to actively prevent pressure sores by tilting the user's weight regularly to ensure blood flow to all areas. Initially this will be used for wheelchairs, but it has the potential for multiple devices to be used to monitor users in hospital beds.
The challenge
Current solutions to prevent pressure sores (like ones being used in hospitals) are only passive, such as using soft pillows or monitors to assess pressure. An active solution would help prevent in addition to monitor the risk of bedsores.
Who it helps
The need knower has a neuromuscular condition, and due to his disability he sits in his wheelchair 14–16 hours every day. Any wheelchair user will tell you that the seat cushion is a critical part of their body/wheelchair relationship. But changes in the body (such as weight, balance, weakness) can create differences in a person's weight distribution in the seat. Inadequate inflation of a seat cushion or lack of support can lead to a list of dangerous health issues, which are magnified by people who have no sensation in their lower body.
Project details
- Stage: Concept
- Built by the Bay Area community, Bay Area, United States of America
- Category: Daily Living
- 10 downloads
The build files for Smart Seat/Smart Ass are free to download from this page - open source, shared by TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers.
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