BRACKET: A Smart Pad Adjusts Automatically to Optimize the Design for Preventing Decubitus Ulcers in Older Persons Who Have Been Lying Down for a Long Time

Abstract

The goal of this thesis is to investigate the design application of the smart pad automatic adjustment mechanism in addressing the improvement of prolonged lying posture, pressure ulcer prevention, body detection, and rehabilitation healing of the elderly. Prolonged lying down is hazardous to the elderly’s health and can easily lead to pressure ulcers and other complications. BRACKET has a built-in pressure sensor and an automatic adjustment mechanism that can monitor real-time changes in the elderly’s sitting posture and body posture and automatically adjust the cushion morphology and hardness to optimize the pressure distribution based on the data fed back from the sensor to effectively improve the prolonged lying down posture and prevent the occurrence of pressure ulcers. The study describes in detail the design principle and automatic adjustment technology of BRACKET, and the impacts of BRACKET in different sedentary postures are evaluated and compared with typical seat cushions via experiments and data analysis. BRACKET greatly reduces local pressure and effectively reduces the harm of pressure ulcers, as well as providing better sedentary care and rehabilitation services for the elderly, reducing the burden of care, and making a positive contribution to the improvement of the quality of life of the elderly and the effect of rehabilitation.