wearable posture sensing with bluetooth module
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I had the board manufactured at dirtypcbs.com
All the components were ordered from DigiKey.
I used a toaster/reflow oven to surface mount the components.
I 3d printed a case, I had to divide the case into multiple parts as I have a very small print bed.
I did not break out the ICSP pins to headers/connector on the attached PCB files, this means I had to solder jumper wires directly onto the ATmega32U4 to upload the bootloader.
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h - 3.15 kB - 12/04/2020 at 01:56 |
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ino - 6.13 kB - 12/04/2020 at 01:56 |
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Screen Shot 2020-12-03 at 5.54.22 PM.pngKicad schematic filePortable Network Graphics (PNG) - 51.02 kB - 12/04/2020 at 01:54 |
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I created a quick video showing the process I used to create Posture Pack:
I've submitted this project to
2021 Hackaday Prize specifically for the 'Refresh Work-From-Home Life'
Wish me luck! If there is still interest in this project I will generate an Rev2 board with some of the improvements I have found through testing Rev1.
The top of my list for improvements are 1) a cheaper bluetooth module available from Digikey 2) option for haptic feedback when you're not in the mood for bluetooth (maybe reading or working without a screen).
Thanks for the support!
Regarding the Adafruit Bluetooth module: I would have loved to integrate a 'bare' bluetooth module and avoided using a breakout board for both cost saving and cosmetic reasons, however I didn't want to get into flashing the bluetooth firmware. If I release another revision I will try to integrate a discrete bluetooth module. For a proof of concept I think I made the right decision as the breakout board was really easy to use.
The Posture Pack also badly needs some haptic feedback. Although I spend the majority of my time next to a computer I'm curious how effective this would be walking outside. It would be easier to use as you wouldn't need to change bluetooth from laptop-phone etc.
After measuring my posture without feedback and after with bluetooth notification feedback I'm pretty happy with the result of this project. Here are the improvements I would include in another revision of the board:
1) Vibration motor for non-bluetooth posture notifcations
2) Add traces/connector for ICSP (CRITICAL!)
3) Replace R1 to 2k to increase charge rate to 500 mA
It would be neat to do a study of long term impacts of using this, could it actually improve sitting/standing posture without the notifications? I think that it likely would.
Here are some measurements before and after enabling notifications
Day | Average Posture |
WFH | 63 |
WFH-With Bluetooth Posture Feedback | 75 |
Random Weekend | 63.96 |
In the Lab | 68.64 |
Straight as Possible | 72.5 |
Plank | -6.94 |
I used a teensy 3.2 to flash the bootloader via ICSP. See attached image for connections.
Install pro micro library as described: https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=363341.0, select teensy port, Change board to ‘pro micro’, Programmer: ‘Arduino as ISP’, now you can flash the bootloader and you can upload a sketch by selecting ‘upload using programmer’.
I'm not a experience tailor so I won't offer detailed instructions for the pocket, however I did use these shirts: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P50WN0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They were long enough for me that I could cut off the bottom 15cm or so and use that to create a pocket as shown in the image.
There are three modes for the sensor,
1) Acceptable posture ( >70 based on my measurements and testing)
2) Below threshold, user receives 'You're Hunching!' notification followed by measured posture
3) Sensor is placed on flat surface, outputs current posture, average angle, number of samples and firmware version (sample output below shows current angle -12, average: 75, samples 1662 and version 7.
Hey Danie, thanks! WFH = Work From Home. I think lots of people who are WFH are using sub-par chairs and desks (like me) who could benefit from this device. I use the measurement 'orientation y' from the BNO055 sensor/adafruit library to estimate posture. The sensor is always on and samples are taken every ~3 seconds. According to the data sheet the sensor can draw up to 12.3 mA, and the bluetooth module can draw 2-15 mA, based on this the pack should have >15 hours of operating capacity.
ImageryEel
nanoparticle
Anıl Aras
benw
Very cool project. On your "Final configuration testing" log, what sensor value did you use for the measurements, and what does 'WFH" mean? Do you turn on the sensor when you sit down or does it automatically detect when you sit still?