Smart chair for postural monitoring and correction with a focus on preventing musculoskeletal diseases in the workplace

This project is currently under development, and Sensing Future Technologies is available to test these prototypes in real-world environments or in new R&D projects.

The integration of advanced technologies into an ergonomic chair offers a disruptive solution to one of the most pressing issues in the workplace: musculoskeletal disorders. In this context, the development of a smart chair capable of monitoring and correcting postural imbalances is crucial to mitigate the prevalence and negative impacts of musculoskeletal diseases. In addition to the impact on improving the quality of life of workers, with a direct impact on physical and mental health, this project brings significant benefits to companies, such as reduced absenteeism, increased productivity and improved organizational environment. In this way, the project explores not only the potential to meet the need of ergonomics and well-being at work, but also aligns with companies' goals in terms of performance. The proposed solution aims to add postural monitoring and assessment functions, soft robotics mechanisms to warn about prolonged postures/sedentarism, and actuation mechanisms to inflate the lumbar area for postural correction. Additionally, environmental sensors integrated into the chair monitor air quality in real time. This PPS includes a user interaction platform, which allows posture monitoring with pressure sensors. One of the innovative features is postural classification, performed by recognizing different patterns of pressure sensors according to the different postures highlighted in the literature. Additionally, the user can view the metrics resulting from the pressure sensors and environmental sensors in real time.