Comfort for a Cause: How a High Schooler’s Invention is Making a Difference

Every year, millions of patients struggle through recovery without the comfort and support they need - a gap the Sehat MediSeat aims to fill. I am proud to introduce the Sehat MediSeat: an affordable, portable, and comfortable rehab seat for improved post-surgery recovery for patients with lower-back and spinal problems. This product was created to support the thousands of injured, elderly, or physically disabled patients who lacked adequate therapy and recovery care.

The inspiration behind this product evolved and matured over a series of visits to the Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital in Dharampur, rural Gujarat. One particular problem I had repeatedly noticed - not just in Dharampur, but all around India - was the long waiting period that patients underwent. I realized that the rural Indian lifestyle necessitated prolonged sitting and crouching, causing long-term discomfort and injury to villagers. This could be especially harmful to recovering patients, with whom I have spoken. Given the potential to improve post-surgery therapy care, I sought to develop a product that touches the lives of many in a simple yet effective way: by improving rural healthcare.

Research

The first step to developing an effective rehabilitation seat was research. There are many aspects of manufacturing a seat that I was initially unfamiliar with: stuffing materials, covers, design, and so much more. I spent months browsing the internet for specialized medical seats, existing comfort products, and articles detailing them. Throughout this period, dozens of unique design features perked my interest; these were shortlisted and analyzed in further detail. Some of the characteristics I found particularly interesting for a multi-functional seat included, a molded lumbar support, and a contour pillow stuffing, an insertable hot/cold compression, a drawstring bag to carry the seat.

I found that some optimal seat covers include those that are anti-skid, breathable, and incontinence-friendly. Properties like ease of cleansing add to their usefulness. For this, I researched natural materials (like cotton and linen) and synthetic cloth (like polyester and nylon) amongst others. Seat materials had to effectively relieve back pain, so I assessed the benefits of various stuffings. Finding a balance between availability and affordability was particularly challenging. I found polyester and memory foams to be top choices, with kapok being rejected for its flammability and difficulty to source. Wool, although commonly available, is hard to keep in shape, making it ineffective in molding to support one’s back.

In addition to an overarching scour of the internet, I read published research papers on the ergonomics of a seat, developing my understanding of the design manufacturing. For instance, I learned about thermal sensitivity in the human back and buttocks and how the thickness of foam affects the seat-interface pressure. There was even a computational analysis on the influence of seat design parameters, from which I gained key information about the relation between factors like backrest inclination and compressive forces on the spine and back joints.

While all this biomechanics was important, I needed to translate the knowledge into practical application and use-cases. Thus, I created a series of in-depth presentations highlighting my key takeaways, and reached out to medical experts from India to validate my findings. 

The doctors and engineers, people who had decades of experience in physiotherapy and medical solutions, backed my research, allowing me to develop a conceptual design.

Prototype 1.0 Design

The initial design I developed was a high-density memory foam seat with a key characteristic: the ability to adjust pressure and support. Due to a lack of specialised rehab seats in the market, many existing seats don’t account for uneven pressure distribution, leading to discomfort and hindered recovery. My design planned to address this critical gap: personalised, real-time pressure adjustment. I implemented a PLC system into the design, permanently installing an Arduino into the seat’s base. Force sensors in four quadrants would detect severe imbalances in applied pressure by the user. A variation of greater than ±2 Pa from the mean would trigger the system to pump air into the designated neoprene bags, effectively increasing the support in the affected area. This would correct the user’s posture and blood flow and enable quicker recovery. Technical details like motors to pump air through self-closing valves, limits to prevent over-inflation, and internal fluid circulation systems were discussed with engineers.

I also considered an alternate method to pump air into the seat to increase support: accumulators that store potential energy. This would mean connecting the force pockets to a common energy source (with pre-charged liquid and gas on opposite halves), and directing energy to a certain pocket to provide instant feedback. However, recharging the accumulator would require an external power source, defeating the seat’s portability.

After testing, I found that using high-quality electronics would drastically increase the cost of building the MediSeat, conflicting with my vision of providing an affordable solution for rural patients. Thus, I opted for the mechanical route, embedding 4 inflatable air wedges in the seat base. This low-cost system allows patients to customize their seat’s pressure at any time through a hand squeeze-pump. This decision was motivated by my connection with the patients and their struggles, fueling my determination to develop a practical, low-cost solution to truly aid their recovery.

Manufacturing

The next step before production was to create several experimental prototypes. The detailed design ready, I finalized the sourcing of materials (ordered online) and prepared to put together the first piece. My experience working at my school’s fabrication workshop helped me efficiently assemble the physical prototype.

The actual manufacturing of the prototype took place at multiple workshops around Dubai. Handling a metal cutting disc for the first time, I experimented cutting a lightweight steel rod and then welded the parts to form an inner frame. After several attempts, I had successfully made both the upper and lower frame, ready for the addition of cushioning. At a different fabric-specialized workshop, I added cotton straps for the elastic support, and prepared memory foam. After gluing it around the frames, I was ready to add the final cover. This resulted in an initial functioning product. Tested by myself and my family, it was deemed a success. Over the next few months, I worked to further improve certain aspects (like the hinge system used), reflected in other prototype models. I eventually secured a local Indian manufacturer to convert my initial prototypes to a mass-produced reality.

Social Impact

The Sehat MediSeat was built to solve the gap in post-surgery therapy care in rural areas of India. Today, the seat has been distributed to multiple hospitals in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharastra and is being used by dozens of patients. The hospitals’ own rural medical programmes have provided a means for this product to reach needy recipients in remote villages. I am proud that my efforts have made a positive difference to patients, improving an aspect of the available healthcare to low-income families. I hope to further this project in the months to come, extending its reach to even more hospitals and NGOs across the country to fulfill my mission to Serve Others Selflessly.