The aim of the project is to test digital methods of diagnosing spinal defects based on AHRS (MEMS) systems. The idea for the project arose during work on smart sportswear in collaboration with entrepreneurs from outside the Rzeszów University of Technology. The methods currently used in the diagnosis of spinal defects involve taking digital photographs or static measurements, which are then processed using computer software. The project will investigate the use of AHRS systems built into a special diagnostic device integrated with clothing for this purpose. This approach will make it possible to conduct diagnostics outside the doctor's office, including during the patient's daily activities (e.g., at school or work, including analysis of how the environment, such as a school classroom and the furniture used in it, affects the development of posture defects) and, above all, dynamic analysis in motion. This will also allow the effectiveness of rehabilitation/physiotherapy to be checked over time.
The problems that need to be solved in the implementation of the project primarily include issues of measurement accuracy, sensor calibration, elimination of temperature drifts (which occur when sensors come into contact with the patient's body), but also methods of automatic analysis and visualization of collected data for offline diagnostics (without the patient's participation). Analysis and visualization are particularly important from the point of view of patients' quality of life, as they can use the Internet to avoid the need to attend follow-up appointments by sending data from the device directly to their doctor, rehabilitation specialist, or physical therapist. The possibility of using machine learning to build an automatic diagnosis support system will also be investigated.