The first smart carpet can against bedsores for reduced mobility people

A French start-up Gaspard has developed a connected smart carpet against bedsores, which thanks to a sensor system, can prevent bedsores for people with reduced mobility or hospitalization for a long time. Morgan Lavaux and Valentin Roy present Gaspard to better support people with reduced mobility or the elderly.

The smart carpet against bedsores

To fight against this pathology, the idea was to create a connected carpet, called “Gaspard”, placed under the wheelchair anti-decubitus cushion, able to warn the person or his entourage – caregivers or carers – in case of bad positioning. A notification on a dedicated smartphone app is sent.

The technology is based on a sensor system that measures the time of change of position and the pressure exerted.

The cushions of this type are, for the moment, passive. That is to say, it is necessary to detect the problems oneself, which calls into question their utility. Indeed, many people who find themselves for various reasons in a wheelchair may have a decrease or even a total lack of sensation in certain parts of the body.

From there, help is needed to feel the bad postures that create pressure ulcers. The problem: a bedsore can be created in just 15 minutes. Each patient must be able to detect his bad postures to correct them if no one is with him.

Gaspard: a positioning tracker for people in wheelchairs

Gaspard is a connected carpet that is placed between the chair and the classic anti-escarre cushion that is always used with. It is equipped with sensors that send position alerts. They monitor the three main aggravating factors of pressure ulcers: weight, positioning and lack of movement.

The application of the Gaspard therefore monitors the pelvis and buttocks of the person concerned to verify that position is good. It will also track the activity of the user and thus offer him daily goals in the manner of fitness connected objects.

For example, lifting the weight of one’s body to the strength of the arms while standing on the armrests of the chair is an exercise that must often be exercised so that the patient’s body does not weaken too much over time. It also helps to reposition and avoid bedsores.

The application allows you to send alerts to a selected caregiver. It can be a family member, a friend or a caregiver who will have the mission to prevent the person with reduced mobility if it does not see the alerts that are addressed to him on his own smartphone .

Gaspard, a carpet constantly monitor

Gaspard is a carpet that aims to better support people in wheelchairs, whether people with disabilities or seniors. Indeed, this device is able to constantly monitor the way a person sits and to give the alert when they occupy the same position too long, prompting them to reposition themselves and to distribute their weight differently to relieve the points Compression

In fact, people in wheelchairs can be subjected to a decrease or even a total lack of sensation in certain parts of the body, which can lead to pressure ulcers. Based on this observation, the two young entrepreneurs had the idea to create a rug that could detect bad postures to allow people with reduced mobility to correct them without outside help.

In addition to preventing pressure ulcers, according to the founders, the system is intended to prevent scoliosis or malnutrition, which can manifest itself in the home, where the caregiver is no longer able to monitor the patient.

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