Design of a device for determining body contours

Depending on their condition, wheelchair users are often unable to sufficiently stabilise their core muscles and thus their upper body in the wheelchair, which can lead to typical clinical symptoms. To achieve sufficient stabilisation of the wheelchair user's upper body, as well as to counteract typical health issues and ensure a high level of comfort, the seat and backrest of a wheelchair can be individually adapted to the user. The manufacture of a customised seat and back shell requires the user's body contours to be measured. The current state of the art for determining these contours and for manufacturing a customised seat and back shell proves to be time-consuming, complicated and cumbersome for the user. To counteract these disadvantages, Clever Contour GmbH (Leoben, Austria) has developed a novel concept for body contour measurement.