(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-04-24)
Obrien, John James
The Wheelchair In-Seat Activity Tracker (WiSAT) is a sensor-based activity tracker aimed at encouraging in-seat movement among wheelchair users who are at risk of pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcers tend to form in the buttocks or thighs of a wheelchair user due to a lack of pressure redistribution in that part of the body. Pressure ulcers are a serious risk to many wheelchair users due to a plethora of harmful side-effects, such as infection, hospitalization, and long recovery times. However, in-seat movements, such as weight shifts, have been linked with the occurrence of pressure ulcers. WiSAT began as a research tool that enabled researchers to monitor the in-seat activity of wheelchair users during their daily lives through sensor-based reporting, as opposed to relying solely on the self-reporting of research participants. Through the efforts described in this thesis, WiSAT was transformed from a research tool into a consumer product. Specifically, this thesis describes the design, development, and integration of WiSAT’s subsystem through four specific aims:
1. Design and evaluation of a user-interface based upon principles of Health Behavioral Change Theory.
2. Coupling of the Hardware and Smartphone App Subsystems
3. Preparation of the Algorithm Subsystem
4. Integration of the WiSAT Subsystems through Multi-layered Architecture for the WiSAT Smartphone App