Abstract
The neck is very complex, it controls the head movements, and all the sensory information from/to the brain to/from all parts of the body. A study shows that neck pain is one of the leading causes of disability and nearly 84% reported with movement coordination impairment had a slouched sitting posture. Neck pain and progressive medical conditions in the cervical spine can be mostly attributed to poor ergonomics of using mobile Information and Communication Technology (m ICT) devices like tablets and smartphones. The diagnosis and treatments for neck pain are not just painful procedures but affects the productivity, time and cost. Ethnographic research was carried out to restate the epidemiology related to neck pain and studied the biomechanics, methods to measure cervical range of motion. One of the most provided medical advises for the patients with neck pain is to take preventive and precautionary measures to protect the neck from any serious medical conditions. Advises including self-educate them to retain a good posture and to be aware of the thresholds that triggers neck pain during the use of m-ICT devices. Thus, the aim of this thesis is to design, develop, and test a smart, user-friendly wearable device for extreme m-ICT users. The smart device named “Neck+” was designed to measure the orientation of the neck of all age-group. The prototype was tested on a human in closed environment and validated the device functionality. The device, Neck+ that placed on the neck is capable to measure the orientations and the intelligence in the device differentiate the poor posture by comparing with the initial setup by stretching the neck to maximum in all position. The posture behaviour and duration in each position will be captured continuously and processed internally to set the threshold point that triggers neck pain. These data points help the users to guide and educate to prevent from neck pain. The data insights captured in the internet cloud shall be accessed by clinicians or therapists. The posture behaviour data help in clinical diagnosis for an effective medical intervention and or in a pre/post treatment or therapy. This thesis is concluding that the function of “Neck+” was validated successfully. Further customization of hardware and software is required for mass production. The goal of Neck+ is to made available to general public at affordable price.