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Chronic pain that frequently limits life or work activities is among the most common reasons adults seek medical care, 20.4% of adults have chronic pain and 7.4% of adults have chronic pain that frequently limits life and work activities. These people need a way to sit comfortably in places that may not have seating already available.
“I have to stop, but I have kids!”
Survey
After research, we did a Survey and about 50 people answered.
Trends from the survey showed that the majority of the pain is in feet and lower back areas.
This pain also often gets in the way of day-to-day life and activities.
“Sometimes the pain is so great that I feel like my back can’t hold me up”
User
Our user is someone that has chronic pain or difficulty standing for long periods of time (from
accident, surgery, etc.), that wants to go somewhere that involves a lot of standing (theme park, grocery store, etc.). They are between the ages of 18 and 69, have a height of 5'- 6', and have a weight lower than 250lbs, and are able to carry a backpack. They are looking for an easy-to-carry device that can allow them to rest.
“Chiropractic care: was effective initially, but not long-term; Physical therapy: did not help; Surgery: has been effective mostly, but not a cure-all thus I still deal with lots of pain.”
Idea
Our goals with this project were as follows:
Create an easily carried chair, using a backpack that can collapse into a chair
Intended for those who sometimes need to sit in high-traffic areas, but don’t need to use a wheelchair
Massage feature to help reduce pain when carrying and sitting
Easy to assemble for the user
“I have tried nerve burning, injections, si joint fusion, starting epidural treatment next week. So far nothing has been effective”
Electric Components and Code
Materials:
Two terminal blocks per PCB
Power bank
Sided copper-clad circuit board
Vibration motor
H bridge
Touch sensor
Micro USB port
Material to improve the design:
Step up 5[V]
Charging module
Lithium battery
The function of the two terminal blocks is to allow the wires of each one of the motors to be connected to receive sufficient voltage for their operation.
The power bank allows the supply of sufficient voltage to supply the necessary voltage for the motors and the microcontroller.
The sided copper-clad circuit board, is where the necessary circuit to operate our circuit was designed, that is, we created a custom model.
The vibration motor, in our case, has the function of generating a vibration at a frequency of
20 Hz, and receives a voltage of 6 Volts, which generates a massage in the areas where each one is placed.
The H bridge allows you to decide the direction of rotation that each of the motors can have, in addition to avoiding that when the motors start and run they generate interference with the microcontroller.
The H bridge allows you to decide the direction of rotation that each of the motors can have, in addition to avoiding that when the motors start and run they generate interference with the microcontroller.
The Micro USB port allows you to connect the power cable that allows you to recharge the battery that supplies power to electronic components.
The step up 5 Volts, allows the voltage from the lithium battery to rise and in this way to supply voltage to both the circuit, the motors and the microcontroller.
Code
If you want to know more about the coding part, go to:
Design
Legs
Originally we tried 3d prints, but they ended up failing
We ended up using PVC pipes and elastic to create the legs for this prototype
We took inspiration from the blind person canes that has elasting inside the tubes and unfold very easily.
We design an X support for the legs (this is version 2, I’ll replace it with version 3) and this support is completely 3D printed.
Also we added some elastics on the bottom of the chair for more tension and stability
Straps
The Straps will have vibrations for more pain and tension relieve that will be activated by a touch sensor and powered by a power bank.
Backpack attachment
We included some velcro straps to hold the tubes in place but in a easy way for the user to remove them.
It has an intern support for the backpack to open only at 90°.
Testing & Feedback
Here's the user testing our final product!
Issues and Solutions
Final Design & What’s Next
Comments