Biomedical Engineering: Graduate Reports and Projects

Date of Award

7-2025

Degree Name

MS in Biomedical Engineering

Department

Biomedical Engineering

College

College of Engineering

Advisor

Christopher Heylman

Advisor Department

Biomedical Engineering

Advisor College

College of Engineering

Abstract

This paper describes the design, manufacturing, and testing of a novel spinal posture tracking wearable device with embedded sensors. Currently on the market, most of the spinal posture tracking devices only focus on one segment of the spine and therefore do not track the entirety of human posture. The objective for this project was to create a wearable device in the form of a “smart shirt” that offers insights into posture trends throughout the day by tracking the entire spine. To begin the project, multiple designs were developed for the sensor array and wearable materials. These concepts were compared against engineering specifications and evaluated by the team and sponsor. Testing was performed throughout this project: material testing, comparison to the competition, head versus neck sensor placement, frequency output validation, non-equivalence of sensor location in each unique spine segment, and sensor reproducibility. Our findings revealed that a competitor’s device does not adequately track comprehensive spine movements, highlighting a significant gap in the current consumer posture technology that our system addresses. Data demonstrated that independently tracking the three major spine segments provides crucial information about sagittal spinal alignment that would otherwise be missed. Once we finalized our prototype based on the above testing, we conducted human trials with our wearable device. Data was collected from 15 participants during both a 15-minute uninstructed block of time where they worked on their computer, and a guided instructional video where participants got into various poor posture positions. Thresholds were determined for poor, moderate, and good posture from the guided portion and applied to the uninstructed segment for insights into overall posture trends. Testing confirmed that most participants had above the recommended flexion of all regions of the spine, which has been shown to cause neck and back pain. Visuals were created to display the proportion of time spent in poor posture for each spinal segment. There appears to be a market opportunity here, given the existing demand for back braces and other posture correction devices. This "smart shirt" should improve clinical outcomes, reduce patient medical costs, and save users from the pervasive ailments of neck and back pain.

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