Posture Tracking on the Bike

[joshkingsbury]

Hey everyone,

I’m developing a cycling posture monitoring system, that uses sensors to track and improve rider positioning. The goal is to help cyclists stay in a more efficient and comfortable posture, whether for injury prevention, performance optimisation, or general riding comfort.

Right now, I’m exploring the best way to integrate the sensors into a piece of kit for everyday riding, for a seamless experience. Two potential approaches are:
A: Straps around the chest and hips (similar to a Heart Rate Monitor)
B: Embedded in a jersey or under layer - removable for washing the garment

This is something I’ve been working on for fun, but I’d love to make it as practical as possible for real-world use. Any insights on the application or general thoughts on the concept would be great!

Josh

 

[Oldhippy]

For me personally I see no point in it at as a person who rides as transport daily. A good fitting bike should eliminate any discomfort I think as well. Also not everyone wears 'special' clothing. Maybe a racer might add this to the other gizmos gor that extra second or two on a personal best but not for me I'm afraid.

 

[figbat]

Sounds intriguing. I assume it will not rely on any external cameras or sensors and will be self-contained?

How about both? Have sensors that can either be slipped into pockets of dedicated clothing OR can be added to a strap? That way users can choose or mix/match.

If it needed dedicated clothing then it would have to be decent quality stuff that worked as a performance cycling garment on its own. I assume it would have to be close-fitting to work effectively, hence why a strap-on (fnarr) option might be preferable to those who won’t or can’t wear tight-fitting clothing.

Is this something that you anticipate would be worn regularly or just once in a while? How are you powering them? The ubiquitous CR2032 or rechargeable? Do you have to also carry a phone or other device to act as a hub? Do any sensors go on the bike?

 

[fossyant]

Can't see it working unless you have additional monitors. At work we have a movement lab. Pressure sensitive floor and treadmill all linked to 360 cameras and special body sensors

 

[joshkingsbury]

For me personally I see no point in it at as a person who rides as transport daily. A good fitting bike should eliminate any discomfort I think as well. Also not everyone wears 'special' clothing. Maybe a racer might add this to the other gizmos gor that extra second or two on a personal best but not for me I'm afraid.

I totally get where you're coming from. A well-fitted bike does go a long way in preventing discomfort, and for daily transport riding, posture might not be as much of a concern as it is for long-distance or performance-focused cyclists.

This project is more aimed at those who experience repeated back discomfort or are looking to fine-tune their position over time—whether for injury prevention or efficiency. That said, it's definitely not something every cyclist would need or want.

 

[Oldhippy]

I do long distance on my tourer, never been an issue as I have everything set right.

 

[joshkingsbury]

Sounds intriguing. I assume it will not rely on any external cameras or sensors and will be self-contained?

How about both? Have sensors that can either be slipped into pockets of dedicated clothing OR can be added to a strap? That way users can choose or mix/match.

If it needed dedicated clothing then it would have to be decent quality stuff that worked as a performance cycling garment on its own. I assume it would have to be close-fitting to work effectively, hence why a strap-on (fnarr) option might be preferable to those who won’t or can’t wear tight-fitting clothing.

Is this something that you anticipate would be worn regularly or just once in a while? How are you powering them? The ubiquitous CR2032 or rechargeable? Do you have to also carry a phone or other device to act as a hub? Do any sensors go on the bike?

Correct, the sensors will use internal measurement units, so data is reported in a coordinate system that is local to the sensor.

I like the idea of a modular approach, where sensors could either be slipped into dedicated clothing or attached via a strap. That would definitely give users more flexibility depending on their riding style and clothing preferences.

As for how often it would be worn, that’s something I’m still figuring out - I think it will depend on the use case. Some riders might use it regularly for rehabilitation purposes to ease them back in to active riding by monitoring safe movement ranges, while others might just use it occasionally to check their posture and make adjustments.

 

[joshkingsbury]

Can't see it working unless you have additional monitors. At work we have a movement lab. Pressure sensitive floor and treadmill all linked to 360 cameras and special body sensors

The aim is to have each individual sensor measuring movement in the x,y,z axis in 3-dimentional space using internal measurement units such Therefore data is reported in a coordinate system that is local to the sensor. Could you see that working?

With that, angle, left to right rocking and rotation of the upper & lower back can be quantified. The data collected from each individual sensor can be analysed to provide insights and suggest adjustments to the rider's posture.

 

[markemark]

I cannot see how it will be accurate in space - are they accurate to <1mm? It's not the movement but the relative exact position to the bike/other sensors needs to be very accurate.
Surely a human bike fit or a series of cameras with a bike on rollers will give the mm accuracy needed?