A pressure distribution measurement system for supporting areas of wheelchair users

Pressure ulcers are skin injuries caused by long term exposition to high pressures on support points that interrupt blood circulation reducing the transport of oxygen and nutrients to the cells. They mainly affect people with poor mobility that stay in seating position for long periods of time. In spite of the diversity of commercial prototypes of cushions, ulcers caused by pressure are still a problem for wheelchair users. This work describes the design of a measurement system of pressure distribution in sedentary position. The aim of the system is to record the pressure concentration in order to obtain specific information about the supporting areas, and with these data used as feedback, eventually to determine an efficient random stimulation sequence to provide, in the future, a system to prevent these referred injuries. The proposed system consists of a 12 air-cell division cushion. Each cell has a pressure sensor and an input for electro valves to inflate and deflate. The recording and control of the valves is carried out through a graphical interface designed in LabVIEW®. A calibration procedure for the designed cushion was made by comparing the greatest load values pressure with a commercial platform, similar results were obtained.