Wearable System for Postural Adaptation

Postural changes that result from musculoskeletal disorders and habits related to activities of daily living, have directly influenced the individual's functionality. The maintenance of an inadequate individual's posture can result in several types of comorbidities, such as contractures and deformities. Wearable and interactive technologies can minimize such injuries, as they have sensors for movement analysis in the most diverse conditions, furthermore help in postural's perception and avoid maintaining vicious postures. The objective was to develop a wearable and interactive system for detecting postural aspects through accelerometers and sending information in real time to the user. This research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee under CAAE: 06276819.6.0000.5208 and it is a pilot study. The wearable system consisted of a microcontroller, a Bluetooth module and accelerometers, those were strategically distributed in the prototype's clothing. After the prototype design, pilot tests were performed on a volunteer to analyze the system's responsiveness, reliability and viability to a variety of trunk's postures. In the tests performed, it was found that the prototype was effective in detecting postural changes in various forms of orientation and inclination, making it possible to detect postural compensations in comparison to its reference axis, previously configured during the calibration phase. The developed system is responsive to the individual's posture, providing visual and tactile alerts, enabling a better postural adaptation. And as it's a low-cost and easy-to-use instrument, it will be able to subsidize the user by offering feedback to minimize future problems and even in future research and applications.