www.gizmag.com: Being a nurse, construction worker, or grocery stocker is a taxing and potentially risky job. Claiming almost 10 percent of lost days of work in Germany are due to lower back problems, Fraunhofer researchers in conjunction with industry partners are developing CareJack, an orthopedic prosthetic embedded with flexible, smart electronics to ensure those lifting heavy loads don't have to go home early.
2 comments:
This brings me back to the days of my shoulder/back brace I had freshman year. I didn’t really need the crazy metal mechanisms some kids had for scoliosis, but my shoulders had perpetually slumped forward and a true upright posture for me was unbearably comfortable. So, I got this little two-strap cloth thing that went from the middle of my back and hooked onto each of my shoulders, and lord, was it uncomfortable. I think the same might go for this vest because wearing tight clothes on the job is typically not the most comfortable thing in the world, and it’s not like this vest is super discreet, either. But the incorporated technology is a great way to compensate for having a sleeker and more lightweight vest that doesn’t support 100% of what more cumbersome braces do. I like that the technology is small, and maybe if someone using the vest were taking extra care to pay attention, the signals could cause good habits to be formed.
The CareJack vest is interesting. The approach to how it works seems to take a different type of approach with how getting the electronics to sensor your movement to help prevent injury by straining your back when picking up objects. It looks like it has several healthy benefits. I guess when it’s not being used in the workplace, it can be used as a general back brace after an injury. By having the description say it can help with posture, I’m sure some people need it because more often than not, people are starting to let being comfortable a higher place than arthritis. I almost want to try this on myself, because it looks more like a general harness, but yet it can adjust its rigidity. What exactly is in this product that allows it to do that. We understand there are wires to monitor, but what gives the vest the ability to conform to the needs that are necessary?
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