We developed a wearable device designed to assist elderly people through post-hip surgery recovery. The device has two main functions:
1. Looking out for prohibited motions
After a hip replacement, there are a number of motions you can’t do. For example, you can’t bend over, you can’t cross your legs, and you can’t shift your weight to that foot. The wearable watches out for all of these things in the background and can alert you (and a caretaker) if they happen in the days after surgery.
2. Guiding the user through rehab
Rehab begins almost immediately after surgery but can be quite expensive and difficult to remember when not under supervision. The app not only makes sure the rehab exercise is completed, but also makes sure the exercise is completed correctly without strain on the new hip.
I specifically worked on the software running on our microcontroller. It sent information to the iPhone over the internet like when a user crossed his legs and when a user correctly did his exercise.
This project was done at HealthHacks RI at the University of Rhode Island with Ben Hylak, Mark Landergan, and Andrew Nagal.
