Air Jammi
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Air Jammizzz, automatic inflating pajamas to prevent bedsores for the elderly.
Prototype
Air pumped into a bladder in the shirt helps to rotate the person and alleviate pressure on the tailbone. Pressure sensors located around the tailbone detect critical pressure levels triggering the pump to turn on.
Video: Air pumped into bladder in shirt
Air pumped into a bladder around the ankle, elevates the foot and relieves pressure on the heel. Pressure sensors located around the heel detect critical pressure levels triggering the pump to turn on.
Video: Air pumped into bladder around ankle
Description
Some elderly people have a limited ability to change positions while they sleep or lie down. This lack of position change can lead to the development of bedsores that can develop on the heels, ankles, hips, and tailbone. Bedsores are caused by a prolonged period of pressure on the skin. For the worst-case scenario, bedsores can form within 30 minutes of someone lying in one position. Once a bedsore occurs, they are challenging to treat and can often be deadly. The elderly can be at high risk of getting bedsores due to limited motion while lying down.
The way to prevent bedsores is by changing position every two hours to alleviate the pressure. This is currently done by health care staff, who tend to have a difficult time adhering to this schedule or by medical mattresses that are extremely expensive. Air Jammizzz is a cheaper and portable solution. By sensing critical pressure levels in key locations along the body, the pajamas can pump in the air into bladders to alleviate the strain.
Research
Over the course of a couple of months, Brittany and Mengyuan went to assisted living homes to meet with seniors to discuss daily issues they face and different solutions to these problems. Brittany and Mengyuan also met with geriatric doctors to further understand seniors’ issues.
Testing Concept
A potentiometer is used to inflate a shirt. The potentiometer represents the pressure sensors. As the resistance increases on the potentiometer, more air is being pumped into the bladder and inflates the shirt.
Video: Potentiometer test
Differently shaped bladders are tested to see how much weight they can lift.
Video: Shape test
Collaborator: Mengyuan He, industrial design Grad Student from Rhode Island School of Design.
