Work related posture problems
A lot of professions are paired with unnatural postures. Hairdressers, dentists, surgeons, veterinarians, production line workers, only to name a few. Joining that list are all people working from home without ergonomic measures. People tend to get lost in their work, not realizing they are in an unhealthy posture, or in that posture for too long. The lack of rest causes some muscles, tendons and joints to get overused, which leads to injuries over time.
How the problems are solved
The main function of the Atlas System is to provide posture awareness. It is monitoring your posture and providing feedback when necessary. In professions paired with unnatural postures, it will alert you when risk-inducing postures are taken for too long, preventing muscles, tendons and joints from getting overused. Sensitive areas are the lower back, the upper back, the shoulders and the neck.
How it works
With strategically placed sensors, the posture of the upper body can be measured. An algorithm processes this information and keeps track of the posture over time. When necessary, the system will vibrate to give you feedback about your posture. Through an app on your phone, it is possible to track your ‘postural performance’.
The story of Atlas
There are two stories behind the name. The first is a quite literal one, it aims to reduce problems in the shoulders and spine, the top bone in this system is the first cervical vertebrae, also called the atlas. A more poetic version involves mythical stories. Atlas is a character in the ancient Greek mythology. As son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Asia, Atlas sided with the Titans in the war against the Olympians. Alas for them, they lost this battle. As punishment from the Olympians, Atlas was condemned to hold the sky on his shoulders. In the story with Hercules, where Hercules temporarily receives the burden of carrying the sky, Atlas relieves him from this burden. Just like in the story, the Atlas system relieves a burden from your shoulders.
Timeline
As a first step to solve these problems we are developing the BodyProtector for STEP, a company active in preventive advice for people working in physically demanding jobs. The BodyProtector measures the way certain body parts are used, and gives feedback when passing a certain threshold. After this, Awear will continue to develop this product further.