Our long-term goal with the sensing chair project is to develop
a chair-based haptic sensing system that is robust enough
to drive many real-time applications. In the case of an intelligent
environment, for example, a sensing chair can allow a
seated participant to use sitting postures to directly control a
video camera in the remote conference room. Imagine zooming
in on the remote speaker by leaning forward, or panning the remote
camera by rotating the chair! With regard to ergonomics,
a sensing office chair can gather the information needed by a
“virtual posture coach” to help a computer user maintain proper
sitting postures. This can be especially helpful when long-term
monitoring is required due to previous ailments such as neck or
back injuries. Our sensing chair system can also help furniture
designers evaluate their new chairs by observing how people
sit in the chairs over an extended period of time. In the area
of rehabilitation, a sensing wheelchair can monitor the pressure
buildup in the chair, and trigger mechanisms such as surface air
bladders to redistribute pressure distribution on the chair surface.
A system like this can be especially beneficial to individuals
with impaired mobility. Finally, a sensing driver’s or passenger’s
seat can automatically adjust an airbag’s deployment
force according to the estimated weight and size of the driver,
or disable the airbag if an infant car seat is detected in the front
seat.