{"title":"Effects of the lumbar support function of wearable robot (Bot Fit) on sitting position.","authors":"Jang-Hoon Shin, Hyunmuk Lim, Naeun Byeon, Dokwan Lee, Hwang-Jae Lee, Wan-Hee Lee","doi":"10.1186/s12938-025-01402-8","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sedentary lifestyles can lead to musculoskeletal disorders, but proper sitting posture, particularly maintaining a slight anterior pelvic tilt, helps prevent issues like lower back pain and spinal misalignment. Samsung Electronics wearable robot 'Bot Fit' improves posture by enhancing core muscle tension, reducing trapezius muscle tension, and improving spinal alignment, which can alleviate pain and improve overall musculoskeletal health.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Samsung's wearable robot, 'Bot Fit', in promoting proper sitting posture.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study involved 37 participants, including healthy adults, elderly individuals. Participants were evaluated under two conditions, with and without the Bot Fit device, while seated on a Bobath table. Muscle tension, spinal angles, sitting height, and gluteal pressure distribution were measured under both conditions, and statistical analysis was conducted using paired t-tests with a significance level of p = 0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants showed a significant increase in sitting height and rectus abdominis muscle tone, while upper trapezius muscle tone significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Additionally, hip pressure increased across all regions, and pressure differences between the left and right hips decreased significantly (p < 0.01).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Wearing the Bot Fit with its posture correction function improved muscle tone and sitting posture in adults and the elderly, potentially helping to prevent secondary musculoskeletal disorders from poor posture. Future research should explore the optimal torque settings of the Bot Fit based on individual factors like weight and gender.</p>","PeriodicalId":8927,"journal":{"name":"BioMedical Engineering OnLine","volume":"24 1","pages":"70"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12139266/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BioMedical Engineering OnLine","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12938-025-01402-8","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, BIOMEDICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Sedentary lifestyles can lead to musculoskeletal disorders, but proper sitting posture, particularly maintaining a slight anterior pelvic tilt, helps prevent issues like lower back pain and spinal misalignment. Samsung Electronics wearable robot 'Bot Fit' improves posture by enhancing core muscle tension, reducing trapezius muscle tension, and improving spinal alignment, which can alleviate pain and improve overall musculoskeletal health.
Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Samsung's wearable robot, 'Bot Fit', in promoting proper sitting posture.
Methods: This study involved 37 participants, including healthy adults, elderly individuals. Participants were evaluated under two conditions, with and without the Bot Fit device, while seated on a Bobath table. Muscle tension, spinal angles, sitting height, and gluteal pressure distribution were measured under both conditions, and statistical analysis was conducted using paired t-tests with a significance level of p = 0.05.
Results: Participants showed a significant increase in sitting height and rectus abdominis muscle tone, while upper trapezius muscle tone significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Additionally, hip pressure increased across all regions, and pressure differences between the left and right hips decreased significantly (p < 0.01).
Conclusion: Wearing the Bot Fit with its posture correction function improved muscle tone and sitting posture in adults and the elderly, potentially helping to prevent secondary musculoskeletal disorders from poor posture. Future research should explore the optimal torque settings of the Bot Fit based on individual factors like weight and gender.
期刊介绍:
BioMedical Engineering OnLine is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that is dedicated to publishing research in all areas of biomedical engineering.
BioMedical Engineering OnLine is aimed at readers and authors throughout the world, with an interest in using tools of the physical and data sciences and techniques in engineering to understand and solve problems in the biological and medical sciences. Topical areas include, but are not limited to:
Bioinformatics-
Bioinstrumentation-
Biomechanics-
Biomedical Devices & Instrumentation-
Biomedical Signal Processing-
Healthcare Information Systems-
Human Dynamics-
Neural Engineering-
Rehabilitation Engineering-
Biomaterials-
Biomedical Imaging & Image Processing-
BioMEMS and On-Chip Devices-
Bio-Micro/Nano Technologies-
Biomolecular Engineering-
Biosensors-
Cardiovascular Systems Engineering-
Cellular Engineering-
Clinical Engineering-
Computational Biology-
Drug Delivery Technologies-
Modeling Methodologies-
Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Biomedicine-
Respiratory Systems Engineering-
Robotics in Medicine-
Systems and Synthetic Biology-
Systems Biology-
Telemedicine/Smartphone Applications in Medicine-
Therapeutic Systems, Devices and Technologies-
Tissue Engineering