Overview
Concept
This project is a wearable tech jacket that will help detect and correct the wearer's posture in real time. The jacket will include fully integrated hardware module placed into a waterproof jacket. The jacket will also have BLE capabilities and it's own smartphone application to display data.
Motivation
Poor posture has negative effects in people's lives in many ways. There are several medical issues that stem from poor posture. For example, the lungs are unable to expand fully, resulting in less oxygen flow in the body. Also, prolonged poor posture can result in back, shoulder, and neck pain. Posture is an issue that must constantly be monitored and adjusted. Most people, however, tend to forget about their posture, settling into poor posture for extended periods of time.
Our project is motivated by our realization that many people with bad posture do not realize that they have bad posture. We want to create a product that would help those people correct and improve their posture without intruding on daily activities. Therefore, we came up with the idea to create a posture monitoring jacket that would subtly alert the wearer when posture is poor.
Competetive Analysis
Our main competitor is the company Lumo which creates the following products:
- Lumo Back
This is a device that you wear around your lower back to detect your posture. It also vibrates when it detects that you are slouching. This band may be uncomfortable for the user, especially when sitting down against a chair where the device presses against the back. Additionally, since the band is pressing against your body, issues with heat and sweat could arise in that area. - Lumo Lift
This is a magnetic clasp that you attach to your clothing on your upper chest.
The Life Jacket will have more sensors and provide a more accurate analysis
of bad posture. The Life Jacket will also be a fully integrated jacket
that the wearer may put on instead of being an extra accessory like the
Lumo products.
