New ‘smart chair’ designed to improve posture and protect back health

SITTING is the new smoking, and the latest weapon in public health battle will ensure you won’t get away with slouching, fidgeting or sitting for too long for much longer.

Dr Stephen Wang with his patented prototype for the ultimate smart chair, which sends you text message or emails when your posture is slumping or your're sitting in ways back for your back at Monash University on Monday, June 1, 2015, in Clayton, Australia. Picture: Hamish Blair

SITTING is the new smoking, and the latest weapon in public health battle will ensure you won’t get away with slouching, fidgeting or sitting for too long for much longer.

The ultimate “smart chair” is being developed to send personalised and real-time alerts to your phone or computer, instructing how to adjust your posture to promote healthy spinal health.

And with 78 pressure sensors on the seat, the Melbourne-designed device will even know your “butt signature” to continue sending you alerts if you move desks.

The latest prototype of the “virtual spine” technology, which is being financially backed by two Victorian health services and a Chinese engineering company for their burgeoning white collar market, will soon be tested on Melbourne hospital patients with the aim to prevent back pain and degenerative disease.

Lead researcher Dr Stephen Wang from Monash Institute of Medical Engineering, has filed an international patent for the design, which he developed after suffering his own back problems.

“I tried $1500 chairs, different ergonomic chairs and they helped a bit but didn’t tell me whether my spine was in good condition or not,” Dr Wang said.

“This is the way of the future. It’s like a virtual doctor monitoring your spine all the time and telling you how to protect and improve your spinal health.”

Three million Australian have back problems, and it costs the Australian economy more than $8 billion each year in lost productivity.

The system has 78 “e-skin” sensors on the seat and back rest of the chair, which register minute changes in pressure and movement that are interpreted by algorithm they designed.

“The ultimate goal is to understand the inter-disk pressure load on the spine,” Dr Wang said.

“We will know if the pressure is too high around the pelvis, or if you’re bending too much around the neck.

“They will get a message saying they need to stand up now and do a certain stretch.”

The project also involves neurosurgeon Tony Goldschlager from Monash Medical Centre and the Austin Hospital, and Monash University director of allied health Professor Jenny Keating.

The fully functional prototype is expected to be ready in two years.