James Alexander, Kristen Alvarez, Kevin Camidge, Eric Iacaboni
Department of Electrical Engineering and Technology

Wentworth Institute of Technology

Per the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, on average there are 49,246 injuries per year that relate directly to weight training. The US Emergency Department reports that out of an estimated 980,173 people involved in injuries related to weight training activities or equipment, a critical factor in the cause of these injuries was improper form. With weight training, there are various aspects that one should take into consideration to remain as safe as possible. An athlete must be fully aware of alignment, range of motion, tension, and overall posture to execute a lift with proper form. For example, while performing a proper back squat, the athlete must keep their spine braced in a neutral position, not allowing it to flex forward. They must also be aware of their knee to foot angle; when measured from the median plane which divides the body along the nose to belly button line, the angle created by the femur must remain larger than the angle created by the first metatarsal bone. The average beginner athlete lacks the experience and knowledge to recognize these faults. Hiring a professional trainer can counteract these deficiencies, but can cost upwards of months of gym membership fees per session. Conventional lifting methods also require you to be on the time schedule of a gym, personal trainer, or recreation class.

 

Using an integrated system of image processing and wearable sensors, Lift S.A.F.E, which stands for Sensor Actualized Form Equipment, provides a wireless sensor network that gives feedback on a person's form in real time. With the implementation of image processing, the system analyzes an individual’s posture and sends its data to a central hub. Using this data, the device recognizes when a user's form has reached a critical injury inducing limit. When triggered, an alert sounds to notify the user that they should immediately stop lifting and drop the weight. With the back squat, there are several thresholds the system will look for and alert the user when those thresholds are exceeded. For example, a sensor is placed at the top of the athlete's spine providing measurements of inclination; when the system detects tilt past a defined threshold, the device will trigger a tilted-back fault and alert the user. Lift S.A.F.E also detects various knee, barbell, and other back faults. After lifting, the data collected would further be evaluated to identify weak areas in an individual’s form, providing more complete feedback. Lift S.A.F.E will reduce the number of weight training induced injuries by providing a safe, and affordable, lifting environment.

Corresponding Author: Aaron Carpenter, carpentera1@wit.edu