• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.80-85
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• 2020

Recently the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in students and office workers is increasing, and the necessity of maintaining correct posture and corrective training is required, but related research is insufficient. In the previous study, a membrane sensor or a pressure sensor was placed on the seat cushion to see the deviation of the body weight, or a sensor that restrained the user was attached to measure the position change. In this study, a sensor device for detecting a position change in consideration of wearing comfort was developed, and the measured angle was verified through an analysis app. A sensor device consisting of an IMU sensor is attached to the cervical spine and vertebra spine to measure the position transformation in the sitting position. The change value of the position measured by the two sensors was converted into an angle, and the angle value is displayed in real time through the analysis app. In this study, the possibility of measuring the real-time change value according to the change in position, the convenience of wearing, and the tendency of angle measurement were proved. Future research should proceed with more precise angle calculation and correction of motion noise.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.281-287
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• 2014

Objective: The objective of the study is to develop a portable assistance device to help elderly users reduce strain on the knee and leg muscle while the elderly are standing up. Background: The pose of standing up from a chair is a basic movement, but the elderly often have difficulty standing up due to their weak muscles. We focus on designing a solution that helps the elderly reduce physical problems and support them standing up. Method: This study consists of three parts. Part I explores the way to reduce the refrain of leg muscle while standing up from a chair. In the process of structural development, we found that the moment is minimized when user pushes down the armrests due to a decrease in the force acting on the center of mass. In part II, a user test of 20 participants was carried out to rank the order of comfort of two stimuli: the chair with fixed armrests and the chair with the four-link mechanism that we created-in three different ways; (1) to stand up without touching armrests, (2) to stand up by pushing down on fixed armrests, and (3) to stand up by pushing down on armrests and being supported by the mechanism. To examine the statistically significant differences among the rank means, a Friedman test was conducted. In part III, we analyze the results of the user test and interview feedbacks, focusing on establishing a design strategy from UPO and visualizing it in 1:1 scale. Results: In part I, we decided to develop the four-link mechanism. The bottom is lifted up as the link rises. In part II, based on the rank data, we empirically found that UPO was assessed as the most comfortable during the stimuli. The thigh angle is smaller and the bottom of UPO is separated from a seat. In part III, after assessing the results and feedbacks, we created a visualization strategy for UPO: light, friendly, and novel. Conclusion: The portable and non-mechanical UPO comprises a four-link system that lifts the user's hips while standing. It can help users avoid knee and leg muscle strain. Its universal design considers the elderly's difficulties. Application: In a future study, combining light and durable material in UPO is expected to increase its usability. And this study is an opportunity to design various types of standing assistance devices.