Sensing senses: tactile feedback for the prevention of decubitus ulcers.
Decubitus ulcers, also known as pressure sores, is a major problem in health care, in particular for patients with spinal cord injuries. These patients cannot feel the discomfort that would urge healthy people to change their posture. We describe a system that uses a sensor mat to detect problematic postures and provides tactile feedback to the user. The results of our preliminary study with healthy subjects show that the tactile feedback is a viable option to spoken feedback. We envision the system being used for rehabilitation games, but also for everyday Decubitus ulcers prevention.
Verbunt
Marcel
M
Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. m.n.c.verbunt@student.tue.nl
Bartneck
Christoph
C
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004867:Equipment Design; D056228:Feedback, Sensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*