Krystian Gostomski, a first-year student at the Faculty of Physics of the Warsaw University of Technology, has created a solution that can help all those who spend a lot of time at their desk and forget to keep their backs straight.

– Preparing for my first exams at university was tough, says Krystian Gostomski. – I was spending an awful lot of time at my desk and I noticed I was beginning to slouch. The exam period coincided with the call for entries for the Explory competition. I came up with the idea of creating an overlay for glasses that would signal that I was changing my sitting position to one that wasn’t good.

The overlay is designed to help future users develop the habit of sitting properly. The secret lies in the proper calibration of the device.

The prototype consists of a set of detectors that capture changes in the user’s posture and signal them. The connection and their joint operation is possible thanks to the calibration and adaptation of the device. It is important that the mechanism is neither too sensitive nor allows the sitter to get to the point at which they begin to slouch.

Krystian Gostomski, photo: Instagram @k.gostomskyy

During classes at the Faculty of Physics, Krystian met Dr Marcin Kryński, who got interested in his concept and became the scientific supervisor of the project.

– Marcin Kryński suggested I use an artificial intelligence algorithm, says Krystian. – We teach the neural network and ‘tell it’ when it is dealing with a slouch and when it is dealing with an upright position. The network uses the data and transmits it to sensors and beacons that detect the incorrect posture.

– The user should adjust the settings of the overlay to themselves, i.e., set the range of the original position, so that the overlay does not trigger an alarm with small movements, says our student. – In the future, it may be possible to develop the project so that users can consult the settings with a physiotherapist. For now we are at the concept stage, but it would be great to one day move to the project’s commercialisation.

For the time being, Krystian Gostomski has received the Audience Award for his project at the Explory 2023 Regional Festival in Warsaw.

_{Source: www.fizyka.pw.edu.pl}