Development of Low Cost Smart E-Pants Using Intermittent Electrical Stimulation for Preventing Pressure Ulcers

In this work, a fully-functional working prototype of a low-cost smart E-pants has been designed and developed for preventing pressure ulcers. Smart E-pants are able to redistribute the excess pressure formed under the bony prominences of immobile patients by stimulating the gluteal muscles upon detecting exposure to prolonged pressure exceeding the threshold value. This device incorporates electrodes into specially designed undergarment that automatically deliver intermittent electrical stimulation bursts through interferential current protocol. The electrical circuit consists of two major units namely: stimulation signal generator and stimulation duration controller with prolonged pressure detector. A special voltage conductive fabric is used for the stimulation delivery. The premodulated waveform, allowable current and voltage range from the smart E-pants are comparable with that of a clinical standard electrical muscle stimulator machine. Based on the feedback from healthy volunteers, the smart E-pants have shown great performance in reducing prolonged sitting discomfort. In addition, the total cost of the current working-prototype is at least 7 fold lower than the other prototypes of E-pants. Thus, our developed cost-effective smart E-pants have shown promising results for the prevention of pressure ulcers. Still, there are scopes of further optimization in terms of the efficacy, safety and cost.