SpineSense: IoT-Based Wearable Device for Real-Time Posture Monitoring and Correction

Prolonged poor posture among students and office workers has emerged as a significant health concern, contributing to chronic musculoskeletal disorders affecting the back, neck, and spine. With individuals spending 6–10 hours daily in seated positions, there is an urgent need for real-time feedback mechanisms to enable proactive postural correction. This paper presents SpineSense, a novel IoT-based wearable system designed to continuously monitor spinal alignment and provide instant haptic feedback for posture correction. The system integrates an MPU-6050 6-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and flex sensors to capture comprehensive spinal orientation and curvature data. An ESP32 microcontroller processes sensor data in real-time using a complementary filter algorithm and triggers a vibration motor when sustained postural deviation is detected. The device achieves 92.4% posture detection accuracy across multiple test scenarios and provides full-day operation with a 3.7V 2000mAh LiPo battery. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity enables data transmission to a companion mobile application for trend analysis and daily posture scoring. With a Bill of Materials (BOM) cost under ₹1200 ($15 USD), SpineSense offers an affordable, non-invasive solution for proactive spinal health management, addressing critical gaps in existing commercial systems.