Twisting posture detection using triaxial accelerometers to prevent low back pain in nurses and caregivers

Abstract

Japan currently has a shortage of nurses and caregivers. One of the reasons for this is occupational low back pain. Assistive suits and care robots have been developed to help address this problem. However, simpler improvement measurement methods are needed that consider hospital and care facility environments. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a device using a sensor to measure posture in a simple way. Although previous studies have shown that it is possible to measure forward tilted posture using triaxial accelerometers, twisting posture must also be measured. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a method for detection of twisting using a triaxial accelerometer. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed device by attaching it and verifying that the twisting posture could be detected.