Mobile Activity Monitor for Wheelchairs
2005 · Assistive Tech · Wearables · Wireless · Healthcare
Mobile Activity Monitor for Wheelchairs
I worked on the development of a mobile wireless activity-monitoring system designed for wheelchair users. The system was intended to track weight shifts and other less obvious activity patterns that matter for skin health, with the goal of helping prevent pressure sores through continuous monitoring rather than occasional observation alone.
Overview
The platform combined seat-based sensing with wireless communication so that activity information could be reviewed both by the wheelchair user and by skin-care specialists.
Primary goals included:
- Track weight-shift behavior and less obvious activity patterns.
- Provide continuous measurement to reduce pressure sore risk.
- Deliver actionable feedback to both users and skin-care specialists.
The broader aim was to support prevention-oriented monitoring with a system that could operate in everyday use rather than only in controlled clinical settings.
My Contributions
My work focused on the software and measurement side of the system:
- Development of the mobile wireless monitoring platform
- Support for interpreting under-cushion activity data
- Work on feedback-oriented measurement aimed at both end users and clinicians
Related Work
This work also led to publications and patent activity related to mobile activity monitoring and wheelchair-user skin health.
- Wilson, Peifer, et al. “Mobile Wireless Activity Monitoring to Prevent Pressure Sores in Wheelchair Users,” RESNA 2004.
- Wilson, Peifer. “Determining Shift Activity via Under-Cushion Monitoring,” RESNA 2005.
- Peifer, Wilson, Andreasen, et al. “Systems and Methods for Mobile Activity Monitoring,” U.S. Patent 7,311,675.