Since the dawn of the cubicle worker, we’ve noticed many bad habits that have contributed to various health problems. We don’t eat well, we don’t get enough exercise, we don’t breathe or digest as well, and we have poor posture, among other things. Being able to track the bad habits that contribute to these problems could help to minimize systemic issues like diabetes or obesity in the long run.
I’ve been particularly interested in posture during my time at ITP. Being a part of a tech community that spends a majority of time in front of a screen, I’ve become aware of my body position more than ever before. However, it is such an unconscious behavior that it’s difficult to monitor constantly.
This January, I built a standing desk to encourage good posture, but even that is not good enough. I’d love to make a wearable posture sensor that can be worn under everyday clothes to notify the wearer of incorrect posture. For this week’s project, I taped a flex sensor to my back and, using an Arduino, turned on an LED when I exhibited bad posture.
Ideally, I’d love to turn this into a wireless, effective article of clothing that can be used to track and correct poor posture.