Student develops system to help detect pressure ulcers

Frederick’s grandmother has been a wheelchair user for over a decade. Initially, she was able to walk a short distance, but then she stopped being willing to leave a wheelchair after slipping and hurting her leg.

Because of this, she ended up developing several pressure ulcers had developed on her back and thighs. Frederick noticed this and decided to find a solution.

With the help of four colleagues, he built a smart ulcer prevention system, which is still a prototype, designed for wheelchair users and their caregivers. It can help detect ulcers and encourage users to do simple exercises, allowing caregivers to keep track of their physical activity.

It consists of a smart cushion that features temperature and pressure sensors and a pressure-sensing footpad. It can be connected to an Android TV box, which allows the wheelchair user to play games designed for weight-shifting exercises, such as a simplified Snake game, via a proper app. The system collects the data so that the caregivers can review the patients’ activity.

“This system can be used outside as it runs on Wi-Fi and battery (extendable via a power bank). Furthermore, the recorded data will be transferred to a database so caretakers can review the games they played,” the inventor explained.

This innovation led Frederick and his team to win a gold award in the Technology category of the 7th National Assistive & Rehabilitation Technologies Student Innovation Challenge in 2019.

Adapted from: https://bit.ly/2YkVl25