Introduction
When lifting a package or during strength training, right posture of the back is important to avoid back pain. Different sensor solutions to measure posture of the back are presented in research articles and patents. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using Lumo Lift as a device of giving feedback of good posture when lifting weights.
Method
Lumo Lift (Lumo Body Tech, Inc, USA) is an activity tracker aimed to for example guide the carrier to good posture. The small device is attached to the clothes using a magnetic clasp. It is calibrated to the user's good posture and vibrates when the posture is inaccurate. In this study the angle, in which the Lumo Lift is allowed to tilt before the device vibrates, was investigated. The device was placed at the top of a ruler and calibrated in upright position. Thereafter the ruler was tilted and the angle when the equipment vibrated was noted. Two different speeds of the tilts were performed. One speed simulating the normal speed of an inaccurate tilting torso when lifting weights. And one slow speed. Two Lumo Lifts were tilted 20 times forward and backwards, respectively.
Result
In normal speed the measured angle was between 6 and 25 degrees, when tilted forward, except two times when one of the devices gave no vibration during the whole tilt of 90 degrees. When tilted backwards the angle was between 8 and 32 degrees. During slow tilt the angle varied from 5 to 13 degrees forward and 4 to 13 degrees backwards.
Discussion and conclusion
Angle tilted before vibration is too large in normal tilting speed. This study indicates that Lumo Lift is not suitable of giving posture feedback during lifting in daily life.