I’m Yuedan Ren, an Integrated Industrial Design MSc student. My project focuses on helping amateur athletes with spinal injuries or fatigue return to sport through a wearable system that supports posture correction, guided rehabilitation, and confidence restoration.
This project is about helping amateur athletes with spinal injuries or fatigue return to sport. Research shows that while around 70–78% of athletes do resume activity, only about half regain their previous level of ability (Raisch, 2024). This gap often arises not from the injury itself, but from fear of re-injury, lingering discomfort, and lack of structured guidance. Therefore, the design aims to provide a wearable system with posture sensing, corrective feedback, and guided rehabilitation to restore both physical readiness and confidence.
The design process integrated warm-up guidance, dual IMU placement, and corrective tension bands into a breathable garment, with magnetic sensor modules and charging dock, creating a wearable system that monitors posture and supports rehabilitation during sport.”
Arduino and dual IMU sensors were connected and trained on Edge Impulse, first tested on skeletal models with a movable spine before garment fitting.
or safety reasons, data training was conducted using self-mademotion models instead of direct human trials. Although this reducedaccuracy in real-user testing, the system successfully recognised keymovements, confirming the project’s feasibility.
The current prototype enclosure was 3D-printed in a larger form to simplify assembly and testing. In the final version, the actual sensor housing will be significantly smaller and more compact, ensuring greater comfort and easier garment integration.”
Multiple garment prototypes were developed and evaluated against posture correction and wearer comfort, leading to improved sensor stability and adjustable tension in the refined version.
The app provides data on user error movements and offers guidanceon how to adjust the corrective garment accordingly.
