Retrofittable Air Cell Cushion for Pressure Ulcer Protection using Piezo-Resistive Pressure Sensing

Pressure ulcers are painful sores that occur by exposure to high-pressure points for a considerable time. This leads to a restriction in blood flow and tissue necrosis. In this work, A retrofittable sensor-integrated air cell-based cushion system was developed to address the issues. The system consists of an air cell array, a honeycomb-like cushion, a pneumatic control unit, and a resistance-based pressure sensor array. The prototype consists of 256 pressure cells on a 17- cm×22-cm sheet, which is flexible in two dimensions. High-pressure point detection and automatic unloading were carried out to address newly produced pressure places, followed by redistribution. Offloading and redistribution with pressure mapping enabled can objectify control of loading magnitude and duration impacts at the seated interface.