Smart shirt to minimize back pain, improve posture

Privately held Adela Health of Altadena, Calif., is developing TruPosture, a slim, high-tech vest that aims to fix a user’s spine and alleviate or eliminate back pain.

Featuring nanosensors, Lycra and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that lasts a week, TruPosture measures the curve of the wearer’s spine and gives detailed instructions on how to adjust to a healthy, maintainable posture. It can detect a half-degree of misalignment and vibrates on the exact vertebra that needs straightening, from the tailbone to the neck. TruPosture will buzz once if the spine is too far forward, twice if the spine is bent too far back, and record just how much of a user’s day is spent slumping or slouching.

The shirt also recognizes when a user is standing, sitting or stretching; it adjusts its ideal posture for each activity, and can also be programmed to a user’s individual preferences.

TruPosture pairs with an app to show users actual diagrams of their spine. The app, compatible with Windows and iOS, delivers a precise picture of the user’s spine in real-time. That picture is layered on a picture of the “perfect spine,” which allows users to see just how well their vertebrae stack up.

Funded by crowdsourcing, Adela hopes to ship a completed product in 24 weeks.