WO2018234470A1

WO2018234470A1 - Wearable posture sensor system and methods of use

Info

Publication number: WO2018234470A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/066613
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carlos SÁNCHEZ MENDOZA; María Dolores BOLAÑOS ORTEGA; Germán GONZÁLEZ SERRANO; Carlos CANO ESPINOSA
Original assignee: Asana Weartech S.L.U.
Priority date: 2017-06-22
Filing date: 2018-06-21
Publication date: 2018-12-27

Abstract

A wearable posture sensor system and associated methods of use are disclosed for monitoring a user's posture and providing feedback in real-time. In at least one embodiment, the system includes a plurality of sensors positionable in contact with a back of the user for capturing data associated with the user's posture. The sensors are in communication with a data module configured for obtaining and processing the data obtained by the sensors. A first end of each sensor is positioned proximal an imaginary horizontal midline of the user's back, said horizontal midline located substantially between a T8 vertebrae and a L1 vertebrae of the user. An opposing second end of each sensor is positioned substantially on or beyond one of an imaginary horizontal upper line, located substantially between a T1 vertebrae and a T8 vertebrae of the user, or an imaginary horizontal lower line, located substantially between an L vertebrae and an L4 vertebrae of the user.

Description

WEARABLE POSTURE SENSOR SYSTEM AND METHODS OF USE

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority and is entitled to the filing date of ES application number P201730827 - filed on June 22, 2017 - and further claims priority to U.S. provisional application serial number 62/526,959 - filed on June 29, 2017. The contents of the aforementioned applications are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The subject of this patent application relates generally to sensors, and more particularly to a wearable posture sensor system and associated methods of use for monitoring a user's posture and providing feedback in real-time.

[0003] Applicant hereby incorporates herein by reference any and all patents and published patent applications cited or referred to in this application.

[0004] By way of background, poor posture is the result of static or dynamic suboptimal spatial arrangement of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar sections of the spine, from the point of view of healthy spinal biomechanics. Many think of poor posture as simply slumping over, but that is not necessarily the case. Due to the variety of body types and spinal morphologies in healthy and unhealthy individuals, incorrect posture can differ from person to person. One person's good posture can be poor posture for someone else and vice versa.

[0005] Poor posture can stem from many sources; one of the most significant sources being an improper perception of one's musculoskeletal status (i.e. proprioception). Emotions, such as psychological stress, as well as damage after physical activities, can also affect the state of one's posture. If one spends a substantial part of one's day in poor posture, the spine tends to orient itself to that movement or position, which is particularly true for children and adolescents, altering the healthy state of spinal tissues. [0006] Poor posture can be a main risk factor in many conditions, with such conditions spanning a wide variety of people. The decrease and even loss of shoulder movement along with chronic pain, neck-related headaches and the decline in the ability to exercise, as well as many other problems, stem from poor posture. Poor posture can be a crucial mediator in idiopathic spinal deformities such as scoliosis, kyphosis and lordosis. Poor posture can lead to emotional problems as well, as it can affect mood, confidence and how one is viewed by others.

[0007] By way of further example, in the European Union, United States and Canada alone, approximately 300,000 new adolescents are diagnosed with scoliosis every year, and are subject to passive observation and monitoring for progression. A large percentage of scoliosis patients are in the 10-25° range and are subject to observation and follow up. However, this is the time when the spine is better capable of voluntarily adopting a spatial configuration with potential for stopping progression. However, brace therapy is so painful and burdensome that it is only recommended in the more severe 75,000 of such patients, when it is often too late to correct posture voluntarily. As a consequence of the high incompliance caused by brace-related pain and burden, about 30,000 of such patients will fail to comply, and require spinal surgery. Spinal surgery in adolescents is the second most frequent type of pediatric surgery. More than 20% of these patients will require re-intervention and implant removal, 40% will be considered severely disabled in less than 20 years after intervention, and more than 50% will experience long-term complications during their life-span. Additionally, approximately 4 million adults (160,000 new adults annually) would benefit from effective postural re-education to manage "horrible, excruciating, or distressing" chronic pain resulting from adolescence-consolidated or degenerative scoliosis each year in the European Union, United States and Canada alone.

[0008] Postural perception, is a neurological phenomenon that can be distorted by many complex processes, and tends to re-inforce itself with daily postural activity. New postural perception patterns are thus a form of neuro-reprogramming that can take place in the context of rehabilitation therapy, but remains unobserved outside of the clinic, during ambulatory activity. Accordingly, there remains a need for a system and associated methods capable of continuously monitoring a user's posture in terms of customizable postural goals, and of providing feedback in real-time, so as to better ensure the user maintains a prescribed posture on a consistent basis, and during everyday activity. [0009] Aspects of the present invention fulfill these needs and provide further related advantages as described in the following summary.

SUMMARY

[0010] Aspects of the present invention teach certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the exemplary advantages described below. [001 1] The present invention solves the problems described above by providing a wearable posture sensor system and associated methods of use for monitoring a user's posture and providing feedback in real-time. In at least one embodiment, the system includes a plurality of sensors positionable in contact with a back of the user for capturing data associated with the user's posture. The sensors are in communication with a data module configured for obtaining and processing the data obtained by the sensors. A first end of each sensor is positioned proximal an imaginary horizontal midline of the user's back, said horizontal midline located substantially between a T8 vertebrae and a L1 vertebrae of the user. An opposing second end of each sensor is positioned substantially on or beyond one of an imaginary horizontal upper line, located substantially between a T1 vertebrae and a T8 vertebrae of the user, or an imaginary horizontal lower line, located substantially between an L1 vertebrae and an L4 vertebrae of the user.

[0012] Other features and advantages of aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of aspects of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings illustrate aspects of the present invention. In such drawings:

[0014] Figure 1 is a simplified schematic view of an exemplary wearable posture sensor system, in accordance with at least one embodiment;

[0015] Figures 2-5 are schematic views of an exemplary wearable posture sensor system as positioned on an exemplary user, in accordance with at least one embodiment; and [0016] Figure 6 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for monitoring a user's posture and providing feedback in real-time, in accordance with at least one embodiment.

[0017] The above described drawing figures illustrate aspects of the invention in at least one of its exemplary embodiments, which are further defined in detail in the following description. Features, elements, and aspects of the invention that are referenced by the same numerals in different figures represent the same, equivalent, or similar features, elements, or aspects, in accordance with one or more embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Turning now to Figs. 1 and 2, there are shown schematic views of an exemplary wearable posture sensor system 20 configured for monitoring a user's 22 posture and providing posture-related feedback in real-time. The system 20 provides, in at least one embodiment, a plurality of sensors 24 positioned in contact with a back 26 of the user 22 and arranged so as to capture data associated with the user's 22 posture, as discussed in detail below. In at least one embodiment, each of the sensors 24 is an elongate capacitive strain sensor, given that such sensors require relatively little power and are relatively more accurate than other types of currently known comparable sensors. However, in further embodiments, the sensors 24 may be any other type of sensor (or combination of sensors), now known or later developed, capable of capturing the necessary data associated with the user's 22 posture and allowing the system 20 to substantially carry out the functionality described herein - such as resistive strain sensors, for example. In at least one embodiment, where the sensors 24 are capacitive or resistive strain sensors, each such sensor 24 is coated in silicone; however, in further embodiments, the sensors 24 may be coated or covered with any other material (or combination of materials) now known or later developed, such as fabric for example. At the outset, it should also be noted that the particular size, shape, dimensions, quantities and arrangements of the sensors 24 shown in the drawings are merely exemplary. Accordingly, in further embodiments, the sensors 24 may take on any other size, shape, dimensions, quantities and arrangements, now known or later developed, so long as the system 20 is capable of substantially carrying out the functionality described herein. [0019] In at least one embodiment, the sensors 24 are attached directly to the user's back 26 using a temporary adhesive, for example. In at least one further embodiment, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, for example, the sensors 24 are attached to a tight-fitting garment 28 which, in turn, is worn by the user 22 such that the sensors 24 are positioned in contact with the user's back 26 - either directly or through the garment 28. It should be noted that while the garment 28 is depicted in the drawings as being a leotard-like garment in further embodiments, the garment 28 may be any other type of garment or structure, now known or later developed, configured for being worn on the user's 22 upper body - such as a shirt, tank top, tube top, bra, belt, etc. Additionally, the garment 28 may take on any other size, shape or dimensions, now known or later developed, so long as the system 20 is capable of substantially carrying out the functionality described herein. In at least one embodiment, the garment 28 is constructed out of a relatively flexible, elastic material, such as spandex for example. However, in further embodiments, the garment 28 may be constructed out of any other material (or combination of materials) now known or later developed - such as neoprene or cotton, for example - so long as the system 20 is capable of substantially carrying out the functionality described herein.

[0020] With continued reference to Figs. 1 and 2, in at least one embodiment, the sensors 24 are positioned on an inner surface of the garment 28 so as to be in contact with the user's back 26 when the garment 28 is worn by the user 22, thereby sandwiched between the inner surface of the garment 28 and the user's back 26. In at least one alternate embodiment, the sensors 24 are positioned on an outer surface of the garment 28. In at least one embodiment, the sensors 24 are permanently attached to the garment 28, such as by permanent mechanical fasteners, permanent adhesive, or by the sensors 24 being printed directly onto the garment 28 for example. In at least one alternate embodiment, the sensors 24 are removably engaged with the garment 28. In this way, the sensors 24 may be selectively disengaged from the garment 28 so that the garment 28 may be washed. Thus, in at least one embodiment, the garment 28 is washable, allowing the system 20 to be used on a daily basis (or at any other frequency desired by the user 22). In at least one such embodiment, the sensors 24 are directly engagable with the garment 28, such as by non-permanent mechanical fasteners or temporary adhesive for example. In at least one further such embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the sensors 24 are instead attached to a relatively thin sensor membrane 30, with the sensor membrane 30 configured for being removably engaged with the garment 28. In at least one embodiment, the sensors 24 are permanently attached to the sensor membrane 30, such as by permanent mechanical fasteners, permanent adhesive, or by the sensors 24 being printed directly onto the sensor membrane 30 for example. In at least one alternate embodiment, the sensors 24 are removably engaged with the sensor membrane 30, such as by non-permanent mechanical fasteners or temporary adhesive for example. In at least one embodiment, the sensor membrane 30 is constructed out of the same relatively flexible, elastic material as the garment 28. However, in further embodiments, the sensor membrane 30 may be constructed out of any other material (or combination of materials) now known or later developed, so long as the system 20 is capable of substantially carrying out the functionality described herein. In at least one embodiment, where the sensors 24 are elongate capacitive or resistive strain sensors, a pair of opposing first and second ends 32 and 34 of each said sensor 24 are engaged with the appropriate one of the user 22, garment 28 or sensor membrane 30 (depending on the embodiment).

[0021] With continued reference to Figs. 1 and 2, in at least one embodiment, the system 20 also provides a data module 36 in communication with the sensors 24 and configured for receiving and processing the data obtained by the sensors 24, as discussed further below. In at least one embodiment, the data module 36 is removably engaged with the user 22 or otherwise stored on the user's 22 person (such as in a pocket of the user's 22 clothing, for example). In at least one such embodiment, the data module 36 is attached directly to the user 22, such as via a belt, for example. In at least one alternate embodiment, the data module 36 is instead attached to the garment 28 or sensor membrane 30. Similar to the sensors 24, in at least one embodiment, the data module 36 is permanently attached to the garment 28 or sensor membrane 30, such as by permanent mechanical fasteners, permanent adhesive, or by the data module 36 being printed directly onto the garment 28 or sensor membrane 30 for example. In at least one alternate embodiment, the data module 36 is removably engaged with the garment 28 or sensor membrane 30, such as by non-permanent mechanical fasteners or temporary adhesive for example. In at least one embodiment, as also discussed further below, the data module 36 is further configured for providing appropriate posture-related feedback to the user 22 by way of at least one of audible notifications (via an at least one speaker 38 provided by the data module 36, for example), visual notifications (via an at least one indicator light 40 or display screen 42 provided by the data module 36, for example), or physical notifications (via an at least one vibrator 44 provided by the data module 36, for example). In at least one embodiment, the data module 36 further provides an at least one module sensor 46 - such as an accelerometer, for example - positioned and configured for obtaining desired readings that may be incorporated into the analysis of the user's 22 posture and potentially alter the provided posture-related feedback. In at least one embodiment, the data module 36 is also in communication with at least one of a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor positioned and configured for transmitting a current temperature and/or humidity level to the data module 36, thereby allowing the data module 36 to account for the current temperature and/or humidity level and adjust the data obtained by the sensors 24 accordingly, given that the sensors 24 may be affected by certain temperatures and/or humidity levels in at least one embodiment. In at least one such embodiment, the at least one temperature and/or humidity sensor is a non- stretching elastomer capacitive sensor positioned within a rigid enclosure that is attached to the garment 28; however, in further embodiments, the at least one temperature and/or humidity sensor may be any other type of sensor (or combination of sensors), now known or later developed, capable of capturing the necessary data associated with a current temperature and/or humidity level and allowing the system 20 to substantially carry out the functionality described herein. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the at least one temperature and/or humidity sensor is attached to the garment 28 in the same way as the sensors 24.

[0022] In at least one embodiment, the system 20 further provides an at least one power supply (not shown) in electrical communication with the data module 36 and each of the sensors 24. In at least one such embodiment, the power supply is an at least one battery - either rechargeable and/or replaceable. In an at least one further embodiment, the power supply is an AC and/or DC power supply configured for being selectively plugged into an appropriate electrical outlet. In at least one embodiment, the power supply is positioned within the data module 36. In at least one alternate embodiment, the power supply is permanently attached to the garment 28 or sensor membrane 30, such as by permanent mechanical fasteners or permanent adhesive for example. In at least one alternate embodiment, the power supply is removably engaged with the garment 28 or sensor membrane 30, such as by non- permanent mechanical fasteners or temporary adhesive for example. In at least one further alternate embodiment, the power supply is omitted, such that an at least one battery (not shown) of the data module 36 and each of the sensors 24 is simply recharged when not in use.

[0023] With continued reference to Figs. 1 and 2, in at least one embodiment, the system 20 also provides an at least one user device 48 in selective communication with the data module 36 and configured for receiving and further processing select data from the data module 36, as discussed further below. In at least one embodiment, the data module 36 and the at least one user device 48 are one and the same - as such, it is intended that those terms as used herein are to be interchangeable with one another, in accordance with at least one embodiment. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the data module 36 may be omitted altogether, such that the user device 48 is in communication with the sensors 24 and configured for receiving and processing the data obtained by the sensors 24. In at least one embodiment, the system 20 further provides an at least one data storage device 50 in selective communication with at least one of the data module 36 and at least one user device 48 and configured for storing said data obtained by the sensors 24 and processed by at least one of the data module 36 and at least one user device 48. In at least one embodiment, the at least one user device 48 and data storage device 50 are also one and the same - as such, it is intended that those terms as used herein are to be interchangeable with one another, in accordance with at least one embodiment. [0024] It should be noted that communication between each of the sensors 24, data module 36, at least one user device 48, and at least one data storage device 50 may be achieved using any wired- or wireless-based communication protocol (or combination of protocols) now known or later developed. As such, the present invention should not be read as being limited to any one particular type of communication protocol, even though certain exemplary protocols may be mentioned herein for illustrative purposes. It should also be noted that the term "user device" is intended to include any type of computing or electronic device, now known or later developed, capable of substantially carrying out the functionality described herein - such as desktop computers, mobile phones, smartphones, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal data assistants, gaming devices, wearable devices, etc. As such, the system 20 should not be read as being limited to use with any one particular type of computing or electronic device, even though certain exemplary devices may be mentioned or shown herein for illustrative purposes. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the at least one user device 48 is in the possession or control of at least one of the user 22 themselves, a clinician who is desirous of receiving the user's 22 posture-related data, or any other individual or entity (such as a parent or guardian, for example) who has an interest in receiving the user's 22 posture-related data, for which the user 22 has provided prior authorization to receive said data. In that regard, it should be noted that, in at least one embodiment, the term "clinician" is intended to generally include any type of medical professional or medical entity.

[0025] In at least one embodiment, each of the data module 36 and at least one user device 48 contains the hardware and software necessary to carry out the exemplary methods for monitoring the user's 22 posture and providing posture-related feedback in real-time, as described herein. Furthermore, in at least one embodiment, the user device 48 comprises a plurality of computing devices selectively working in concert with one another to carry out the exemplary methods described herein. In at least one embodiment, the user device 48 provides a user application 52 residing locally in memory 54 on the user device 48, the user application 52 being configured for selectively communicating with the data module 36, as discussed further below. In at least one alternate embodiment, the functionality provided by the user application 52 resides remotely in memory on a remote central computing system 56, with the at least one user device 48 capable of accessing said functionality via an online portal hosted by the computing system 56, either in addition to or in lieu of the user application 52 residing locally in memory 54 on the at least one user device 48. It should be noted that, for simplicity purposes, the functionality provided by the user application 52 will be described herein as such - even though certain embodiments may provide some or all of said functionality through an online portal. It should also be noted that, for simplicity purposes, when discussing functionality and the various methods that may be carried out by the system 20 herein, the terms "user device" and "user application" are intended to be interchangeable, in accordance with at least one embodiment. It should also be noted that the term "memory" is intended to include any type of electronic storage medium (or combination of storage mediums) now known or later developed, such as local hard drives, RAM, flash memory, secure digital ("SD") cards, external storage devices, network or cloud storage devices, integrated circuits, etc. In at least one embodiment, the user device 48 provides an at least one display screen 58 configured for displaying the posture-related data, as discussed in detail below.

[0026] As mentioned above, the sensors 24 are arranged relative to the user 22 so as to capture data associated with the user's 22 posture. In a bit more detail, in at least one embodiment, the system 20 divides a torso and spine/vertebrae 60 of the user 22 into two functional anatomical blocks (as illustrated in Figs. 2-5): an upper block 62 and a lower block 64. As discussed in detail below, in at least one embodiment, the system 20 characterizes both dysmorphologies of the spine and corrective maneuvers as a combination of forward tilt (i.e., a first spatial plane of potential deformation), lateral tilt (i.e., a second spatial plane of potential deformation) and rotation (i.e., a third spatial plane of potential deformation) of such blocks 62 and 64 with respect to one another. Additionally, it has been found that an imaginary horizontal midline 66 exists substantially between the T8 and L1 vertebrae 60 of the user 22 which separates the movements of the upper block 62 and lower block 64. In at least one such embodiment, the horizontal midline 66 is positioned substantially between the T1 1 and T12 vertebrae 60 of the user 22. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, an imaginary horizontal upper line 68 exists substantially between the T1 and T8 vertebrae 60 of the user 22, while an imaginary horizontal lower line 70 exists substantially between the L1 and L4 vertebrae 60 of the user 22. In at least one such embodiment, the horizontal upper line 68 is positioned substantially between the T6 and T7 vertebrae 60 of the user 22, while the horizontal lower line 70 is positioned substantially between the L3 and L4 vertebrae 60 of the user 22. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the upper block 62 may be vertically divided along the vertebrae 60 into an upper left quadrant 72 and an upper right quadrant 74, while the lower block 64 may similarly be vertically divided along the vertebrae 60 into a lower left quadrant 76 and a lower right quadrant 78.

[0027] With this in mind, in at least one embodiment, the first end 32 of each sensor 24 is positioned substantially on (i.e., on or proximal to) the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26. In at least one embodiment, the first end 32 of each sensor 24 on the upper block 62 is positioned on or above the horizontal midline 66 (though still at or below the T8 vertebrae 60), while the first end 32 of each sensor 24 on the lower block 64 is positioned on or below the horizontal midline 66 (though still at or above the L1 vertebrae 60). In other words, in at least one such embodiment, the first end 32 of each sensor 24 is positioned within a horizontally- oriented area (i.e., an imaginary band or box) that lies substantially between the T8 and L1 vertebrae 60, with the horizontal midline 66 extending through said area. In at least one embodiment, this allows all the sensors 24 to remain confined to that horizontal midline 66 which, in turn, provides a relatively simple approach for removably engaging (and subsequently disengaging) the sensors 24 with the garment 28 (or, alternatively, with the sensor membrane 30) - or even multiple garments 28 having the same arrangement of sensors 24 - simplifies communication between the data module 36 and the sensors 24 (when interrogating the sensors 24), and also allows for a centralized power supply for convenient powering and/or recharging. In at least one embodiment, the opposing second end 34 of each sensor 24 is positioned substantially on or beyond the horizontal upper line 68 (if said sensor 24 is positioned on the upper block 62) or the horizontal lower line 70 (if said sensor 24 is positioned on the lower block 64). Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the positions and arrangement of the sensors 24 in the upper right quadrant 74 mirror the positions and arrangement of the sensors 24 in the upper left quadrant 72, while the positions and arrangement of the sensors 24 in the lower right quadrant 78 mirror the positions and arrangement of the sensors 24 in the lower left quadrant 76. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, as illustrated in Figs. 2-5, each sensor 24 is positioned relative to the user's back 26 such that one of the first and second ends 32 and 34 of each sensor 24 is positioned proximal the vertebrae 60, while the other of the opposing first and second ends 32 and 34 of said sensor 24 is positioned distal the vertebrae 60. Accordingly, in at least one such embodiment, each sensor 24 converges with the vertebrae 60 at one of either the horizontal midline 66 or one of the horizontal upper line 68 (if said sensor 24 is positioned on the upper block 62) or horizontal lower line 70 (if said sensor 24 is positioned on the lower block 64). In this way, in such embodiments (as also illustrated in Figs. 2-5), the arrangement of sensors 24 resembles one or more vertically symmetrical "X" shapes and/or diamond shapes spanning each of the upper left quadrant 72, upper right quadrant 74, lower left quadrant 76 and lower right quadrant 78, with said shapes being horizontally centered on the vertebrae 60 and vertically centered on the horizontal midline 66. In at least one such embodiment, this arrangement allows the sensors 24 to substantially follow the muscular structure of the user's back 26 - the user's 22 muscles being a relatively obvious indicator of the back's 26 natural ability for deformation. This arrangement also enables arbitrarily dense and adaptive spatial sampling of the user's back 26 over the upper and lower blocks 62 and 64. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, each sensor 24 intersects (i.e., overlaps or otherwise crosses with) at least one other sensor 24. [0028] In at least one embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 2, a first pair of sensors 24 are positioned in an X-shaped arrangement in the upper left quadrant 72, proximal the vertebrae 60, with the first ends 32 of said sensors 24 positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 and the opposing second ends 34 of said sensors 24 positioned proximal the horizontal upper line 68. A second pair of sensors 24 are positioned in an X-shaped arrangement in the upper right quadrant 74, proximal the vertebrae 60, with the first ends 32 of said sensors 24 positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 and the opposing second ends 34 of said sensors 24 positioned proximal the horizontal upper line 68. In at least one embodiment, the position and arrangement of the second pair of sensors 24 mirrors the position and arrangement of the first pair of sensors 24. A third pair of sensors 24 are positioned in an X-shaped arrangement in the lower left quadrant 76, proximal the vertebrae 60, with the first ends 32 of said sensors 24 positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 and the opposing second ends 34 of said sensors 24 positioned proximal the horizontal lower line 70. A fourth pair of sensors 24 are positioned in an X-shaped arrangement in the lower right quadrant 78, proximal the vertebrae 60, with the first ends 32 of said sensors 24 positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 and the opposing second ends 34 of said sensors 24 positioned proximal the horizontal lower line 70. In at least one embodiment, the position and arrangement of the fourth pair of sensors 24 mirrors the position and arrangement of the third pair of sensors 24. Accordingly, in at least one such embodiment, this arrangement of the first, second, third and fourth pairs of sensors 24 helps to better ensure that the sensors 24 are able to obtain accurate data related to the above- discussed three spatial planes of potential deformation of the upper block 62 and lower block 64 in maximally orthogonal patterns, allowing for associated degrees of freedom to manifest in the measured stretch/strain patterns along maximally distinguishable directions depending on the particular source of mechanic deformation (i.e., spinal segments, scapulae, pelvis, etc.). In other words, in at least one such embodiment, the sensors 24 are capable of capturing a spatially dense collection of elongations which convey deformations in three dimensions over a grid that samples the anatomy of the user's back 26 adaptively, thereby allowing for accurate capture of all possible movements/deformations of the user's 22 trunk, with a relatively minimal quantity of sensors 24, whether such deformations originate at a given spinal segment, are caused by breathing, by arm movement, by sitting down, etc.

[0029] By way of further example, in at least one further embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the first, second, third and fourth pairs of sensors 24 are positioned and arranged relative to the user's back 26 as described above in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, in at least one such embodiment, sixteen additional sensors 24 are positioned and arranged relative to the user's back 26 as shown. In a bit more detail, in at least one such embodiment, the upper left quadrant 72 provides the first pair of sensors 24 along with four additional sensors 24, with the first end 32 of each such additional sensor 24 being positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26, and the opposing second end 34 of each additional sensor 24 being positioned substantially on or beyond (i.e., above) the horizontal upper line 68. Similarly, the upper right quadrant 74 provides the second pair of sensors 24 along with four additional sensors 24, with the first end 32 of each such additional sensor 24 being positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26, and the opposing second end 34 of each additional sensor 24 being positioned substantially on or beyond (i.e., above) the horizontal upper line 68. The lower left quadrant 76 provides the third pair of sensors 24 along with four additional sensors 24, with the first end 32 of each such additional sensor 24 being positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26, and the opposing second end 34 of each additional sensor 24 being positioned substantially on or beyond (i.e., below) the horizontal lower line 70. The lower right quadrant 78 provides the fourth pair of sensors 24 along with four additional sensors 24, with the first end 32 of each such additional sensor 24 being positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26, and the opposing second end 34 of each additional sensor 24 being positioned substantially on or beyond (i.e., below) the horizontal lower line 70. Accordingly, in at least one such embodiment, with twenty- four sensors 24 total so positioned and arranged relative to the user's back 26, the sensors 24 are capable of obtaining data for an even finer spatial sampling of the regions of relevant deformations, while still enabling the discrimination of the above-discussed three spatial planes of potential deformation of the upper block 62 and lower block 64. [0030] In at least one further embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the first, second, third and fourth pairs of sensors 24 are arranged relative to the user's back 26 as described above in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, in at least one such embodiment, two additional sensors 24 are positioned and arranged relative to the user's back 26 as shown. In a bit more detail, in at least one such embodiment, the upper left quadrant 72 provides the first pair of sensors 24 along with one additional sensor 24, with the first end 32 of said additional sensor 24 being positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26, and the opposing second end 34 of said additional sensor 24 being positioned substantially on or beyond (i.e., above) the horizontal upper line 68. Similarly, the upper right quadrant 74 provides the second pair of sensors 24 along with one additional sensor 24, with the first end 32 of said additional sensor 24 being positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26, and the opposing second end 34 of said additional sensor 24 being positioned substantially on or beyond (i.e., above) the horizontal upper line 68. Accordingly, in at least one such embodiment, with ten sensors 24 total so positioned and arranged relative to the user's back 26, the sensors 24 are capable of obtaining data related to the above-discussed three spatial planes of potential deformation of the upper block 62 and lower block 64 across each of a thoracic section, lumbar section and scapulae of the user's back 26. [0031] In at least one further embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the first, second, third and fourth pairs of sensors 24 are arranged relative to the user's back 26 as described above in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, in at least one such embodiment, eight additional sensors 24 are positioned and arranged relative to the user's back 26 as shown. In a bit more detail, in at least one such embodiment, the upper left quadrant 72 provides the first pair of sensors 24 along with two additional sensors 24, with the first end 32 of each such additional sensor 24 being positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26, and the opposing second end 34 of each additional sensor 24 being positioned substantially on or beyond (i.e., above) the horizontal upper line 68. Similarly, the upper right quadrant 74 provides the second pair of sensors 24 along with two additional sensors 24, with the first end 32 of each such additional sensor 24 being positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26, and the opposing second end 34 of each additional sensor 24 being positioned substantially on or beyond (i.e., above) the horizontal upper line 68. The lower left quadrant 76 provides the third pair of sensors 24 along with two additional sensors 24, with the first end 32 of each such additional sensor 24 being positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26, and the opposing second end 34 of each additional sensor 24 being positioned substantially on or beyond (i.e., below) the horizontal lower line 70. The lower right quadrant 78 provides the fourth pair of sensors 24 along with two additional sensors 24, with the first end 32 of each such additional sensor 24 being positioned proximal the horizontal midline 66 of the user's back 26, and the opposing second end 34 of each additional sensor 24 being positioned substantially on or beyond (i.e., below) the horizontal lower line 70. Accordingly, in at least one such embodiment, with sixteen sensors 24 total so positioned and arranged relative to the user's back 26, the sensors 24 are capable of obtaining data related to the above-discussed three spatial planes of potential deformation of the upper block 62 and lower block 64 across each of a thoracic section, lumbar section, scapulae and even pelvis.

[0032] In still further embodiments, any other quantities and/or arrangements of sensors 24 may be positioned relative to the user's back 26. Thus, the system 20 should not be read as being limited to only the particular quantities and arrangements of sensors 24 illustrated in Figs. 2-5.

[0033] In use, in at least one embodiment, the system 20 is capable of monitoring the user's 22 posture and providing posture-related feedback in real-time. In at least one such embodiment, the system 20 is used for the primary purpose of assisting the user 22 with maintaining good posture on a consistent basis. However, in further embodiments, the system 20 may be used in other contexts where the user's 22 posture may be taken into consideration, some of such contexts mentioned further below. Accordingly, it should be noted that the below described applications of the system 20, and associated methods of use, are merely exemplary and are being provided herein for illustrative purposes. As such, the system 20 and associated methods described herein should not be read as being so limited, but instead can be utilized in any context, now known or later conceived, where there is a need for obtaining data related to the user's 22 posture. [0034] In at least one embodiment, with the sensors 24 positioned in contact with the user's back 26 (as discussed above), the data module 36 obtains the relevant data from each of the sensors 24 in real-time. In at least one embodiment, where each sensor 24 is a capacitive or resistive strain sensor, for a given elongation state of a given one of the sensors 24, its elongation can be measured as a change in capacitance or resistance that can be obtained using for example a Wien bridge, a Maxwell bridge, a Heaviside bridge, a generalized Wheatstone bridge or any electronic circuit capable of generating a voltage that takes values proportionally to the measured capacitance or resistance. Subsequently, the output voltage from the bridge circuit can be input to an Analog-to-Digital Converter circuit, whose output can then be readily processed by the data module 36. Thus, in at least one embodiment the data module 36 obtains N sets of data, where N is equal to the number of sensors 24, which can be used to correctly predict the level of activity of N different independent anatomical sources of mechanical deformation that take place naturally in the user's 22 torso, as discussed further below. Examples of such sources of mechanical deformation include - but are in no way limited to - the shoulders, the thoracic spine moving in the coronal plane, and the lumbar spine moving in the sagittal plane.

[0035] In at least one embodiment, as illustrated in the flow diagram of Fig. 6, upon the user 22 wearing the garment 28 and associated sensors 24 (i.e., each time the user 22 wears the garment 28 and associated sensors 24, in at least one embodiment), the user 22 first calibrates the sensors 24 by assuming a highly reproducible posture for a pre-defined period of time while the data module 36 obtains the relevant data from each of the sensors 24 (602) (referred to herein as a "calibration sequence"). This results in a set of N sequential initial sensor 24 readings that are stored in memory or communicated to the user device 48 and/or computing system 56. In at least one embodiment, the initial sensor 24 readings are averaged over a predefined number of sampling periods. After establishing the initial sensor 24 readings, as further sensor 24 readings are subsequently obtained during use of the system 20 (i.e., until the garment 28 and associated sensors 24 are disengaged from the user 22), such further sensor 24 readings are modified based on the initial sensor 24 readings in order to compensate for any potential offset differences in the capacitive or resistive properties of the sensors 24 and/or slight uncertainties with respect to the exact anatomical locations of the sensors 24 (relative to the user's back 26) upon the user 22 wearing the garment 28 and associated sensors 24. In at least one such embodiment, the further sensor 24 readings are modified by subtracting the initial sensor 24 readings therefrom.

[0036] In at least one embodiment, after completing the calibration sequence, upon the user 22 desiring to establish a new postural goal (i.e., an ideal posture which the user 22 or an authorized third party wishes for the user 22 to maintain on a consistent basis) (604), the user 22 repeatedly performs a plurality of postural transitions (referred to herein as "pure transitions") between an at least one relatively effortless posture (i.e., a posture that does not require much physical effort on the user's 22 part to maintain, such as a posture that the user 22 typically performs naturally) and the desired ideal posture until the data module 36 has obtained a sufficient amount of relevant data from each of the sensors 36 (606). As discussed further below, in at least one embodiment, the sensor 24 readings are analyzed by the data module 36 - or, alternatively, the user device 48 and/or computing system 56 - which results in a metric that is capable of assigning a postural quality to any given set of N sensor 24 readings subsequently obtained by the data module 36. In at least one further embodiment, the data module 36 is configured for automatically determining the user's desired ideal posture from a set of pre-recorded posture anchors (as defined and discussed further below) based on the user's movements (as captured by the sensors 24), and subsequently assigning a postural quality by applying a postural evaluation metric defined in terms of the determined pre-recorded posture anchors. For example, in at least one such embodiment, if the user repeatedly performs a particular postural transition (or exercise) - such as a squat, for example - the data module 36 is capable of automatically determining the pre-recorded posture anchors corresponding to that postural transition, from the full set of pre-recorded posture anchors, based on the data obtained from the sensors 24, then analyzing that data based on such selected posture anchors and postural evaluation metric, and assigning a postural quality at any time during such postural transitions.

[0037] In at least one alternate embodiment, as also discussed further below, rather than assigning postural qualities based on a given set of N sensor 24 readings, the data module 36 - or, alternatively, the user device 48 and/or computing system 56 - transforms the at least one set of N sensor 24 readings into M signals that correctly predict the level of activity of M different independent anatomical sources of mechanical deformation that take place naturally in the user's 22 torso. In at least one such embodiment, as described in detail below, such transformational computations consist of applying a certain number of mathematical formulas (described in an at least one encoder provided by the computing system 56) to the at least one set of N sensor 24 readings, resulting in a set of M numbers that describe the relative activation level of the M anatomical sources. Accordingly, it is to be understood that while the system 20 might be described herein as performing certain steps on the at least one set of N sensor 24 readings in at least one embodiment, in at least one alternate embodiment, one or more of such steps may alternatively be performed on a corresponding at least one set of M signals - i.e., any instance of "N" (as in N sensor 24 readings) mentioned herein may be substituted with "M" (as in a set of M signals associated with the N sensor 24 readings), in accordance with at least one embodiment. [0038] With continued reference to Fig. 6, in at least one embodiment, the sensor 24 readings are analyzed by the data module 36 - or, alternatively, the user device 48 and/or computing system 56 - to define two sets of values (referred to herein as "posture anchors") in the /V-dimensional space of sensor 24 readings (608) - one posture anchor associated with the ideal posture (i.e., a "good posture anchor"), and the other posture anchor associated with bad or non-ideal posture (i.e., a "bad posture anchor") - which are subsequently employed for postural evaluation, as discussed further below. In a bit more detail, in at least one embodiment, the posture anchors are defined by obtaining a centroid in /V-dimensional space based on the sensor 24 readings, and adding or subtracting a certain multiple of a standard deviation of the sensor 24 readings in /V-dimensional space to the centroid, along the direction of the main axis of variation of the sensor 24 readings in /V-dimensional space, determined using a first eigenvector from a principal component analysis. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the energy of the N sequential signals from associated time values of the N sensor 24 readings during pure transitions is computed and normalized by the total energy summed over all the sequential signals from the time values of the N sensor 24 readings during pure transitions in order to obtain, for each signal, a measure of its relative energy (or "relevance") during the execution of the pure transitions. [0039] In at least one embodiment, the system 20 then proceeds to monitor and evaluate the user's 22 posture - i.e., monitor, analyze and assign a metric of postural quality to the user's 22 posture in real-time (610). In at least one such embodiment, the system 20 applies an appropriate posture evaluation metric (which is a mathematical formula involving stored posture anchors and relevances) to the set of N sensor 24 readings obtained in real-time (or at a given time) (612). In at bit more detail, in at least one embodiment, the metric of postural quality Q(s) (taking values between 0 and 1 ) is determined using the following formula:

where R, is the relevance for the /-th mechanical deformation source, s, is the /-th component of the /V-dimensional sensor 24 readings, s,^G is the /-th component of the good posture anchor, and Sj^B is the /-th component of the bad posture anchor. The result of such computations, at a given time, is a postural evaluation for that time. In at least one embodiment, these steps may be performed via one or more of the data module 36, user device 48 and computing system 56. The resulting posture evaluation metric (a number that takes values at every time point) may be displayed via the display screen 58 of the user device 48 (and/or the display screen 42 of the data module 36) in real-time, or can be made subject to additional computations and thereby converted into appropriate audible, visual and/or physical (i.e., tactile, mechanical, etc.) posture- related feedback signals via the data module 36. In at least one embodiment, upon the data module 36 - or, alternatively, the user device 48 and/or computing system 56 - determining that the user's 22 posture has fallen outside of the pre-defined ideal posture range (614) - such as falling below a pre-defined threshold of postural quality, for example - the data module 36 produces an appropriate audible, visual and/or physical posture-related notification to alert the user 22 of their current less-than-ideal posture (616), thereby allowing the user 22 to correct their posture. In at least one further embodiment, the data module 36 will only produce an appropriate audible, visual and/or physical posture-related notification if the user's 22 posture falls outside of the pre-defined ideal posture range for a pre-defined period of time.

[0040] Additionally, in at least one embodiment, all data associated with the user's 22 posture may be periodically transmitted to the computing system 56 and stored in the data storage device 50. In at least one embodiment, the data associated with the user's 22 posture - along with any notifications generated by the data module 36 - may be selectively transmitted to one or more further user devices 48 in the possession or control of authorized third parties.

[0041] As mentioned above, in at least one alternate embodiment, rather than assigning postural qualities based on a given set of N sensor 24 readings, the system 20 instead transforms the at least one set of N sensor 24 readings into M signals that correctly predict the level of activity of M different independent anatomical sources of mechanical deformation that take place naturally in the user's 22 torso, with said M signals being used to assign postural qualities as discussed above. Examples of such independent anatomical sources of mechanical deformation include (but are certainly not intended to be limited to) the user's 22 shoulders, the user's 22 thoracic spine moving in the coronal plane, or the user's 22 lumbar spine moving in the sagittal plane. In at least one such embodiment, the system 20 utilizes an at least one encoder for generating the M signals based on the at least one set of N sensor 24 readings.

[0042] In at least one such embodiment, before the encoder is utilized by the system 20, an associated pre-encoder is trained using a set of N sequential sensor 24 readings from one or more known anatomical sources - such sensor 24 readings either being associated with the user 22 or other sources (such as one or more other users, for example). In at least one such embodiment, this procedure is performed only once in the lifetime of a given data module 36 and the data utilized may come from a recording of the sensor 24 readings on the user 22 or from other sources, such as other users. In at least one embodiment, the pre-encoder is a deep neural network algorithm (i.e., an autoencoder) that has been trained to regress the degree of activation of the different mechanical deformation sources, using recordings of the N sensor 24 readings on the user 22 or another subject while performing isolated activation of the M mechanical sources over their whole range of motion. More specifically, in at least one such embodiment, for each of the N sensor 24 readings, the pre-encoder outputs a real value representing the degree of mechanical deformation source of the associated relevant sensor 24 reading. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the pre-encoder neural network consists of four fully connected layers of 512, 512, 512, and six neurons, respectively. In at least one embodiment, dropout layers are interleaved between each fully connected layer except the latest one. In at least one embodiment, the dropout level is set to 0.5 for each layer. The nonlinear function is the rectified-linear (ReLu). The cost function optimized is the mean-squared error between the reference standard and the inferred mechanical source state. In such an embodiment, the reference standard is computed by measuring the degree of elongation of the sensor 24 that shows higher energy when exercising a given mechanical source. In at least one embodiment, such elongation is further mapped to the range [-100, 100]. In at least one embodiment, the pre-encoder neural network is optimized using the Adam optimizer. [0043] In at least one embodiment, a set of N sequential sensor 24 readings from recent natural use of the data module 36 is transmitted to, and utilized by, the computing system 56 to modify the pre-encoder and generate a new encoder that better adapts to the recent natural data obtained. These steps of modifying the pre-encoder and generating a new encoder may be repeated at a pre-defined frequency, such as each time a new set of N sequential sensor 24 readings from recent natural use of the data module 36 is received by the computing system 56, for example. In at least one such embodiment, generation of the new encoder involves a modified deep neural network that not only has been trained to regress mechanical source activations as described above, but is also optimized to translate between two domains: the domain of the data used for training the pre-encoder, and the domain in which the new data has been produced during natural use of the data module 36 in recent or real-time. This methodology is commonly referred to as a bi-shifting autoencoder, or a bi-transferring deep neural network; though, in at least one embodiment, the computing system 56 adds a regression layer on top of it for performing the regression of the activation of the mechanical sources in every domain. In at least one such embodiment, the results of the two stages (i.e., the one-time initial training stage for the pre-encoder, and the subsequent ongoing second stage of periodically updating the encoder based on new sets of N sequential sensor 24 readings) are continuously refined versions of the encoder that can, in turn, be periodically downloaded into the user device 48, and communicated from the user device 48 to the data module 36.

[0044] Thus, in at least one embodiment, the system 20 and associated methods of use are capable of measuring postural quality and influencing the user 22 in order to improve the user's 22 ambulatory postural quality while using the system 20, in a way that is accurate, adaptive, and comprehensive, while keeping user involvement to a minimum.

[0045] As mentioned above, in further embodiments, the system 20 may be used in other contexts where the user's 22 posture may be taken into consideration. Examples of such further contexts include, but are in no way limited to: posture/movement recording and evaluation during daily activities (i.e., sports, wellness, occupational health, orthopedics, etc.); gaming peripherals allowing for playing video games with subtle trunk movements; and virtual reality avataring, where avatars closely follow trunk movements of the user 22, resulting in more realistic avataring. A solution combining the system's 20 very accurate trunk monitoring in combination with inertial sensors placed on the user's 22 limbs would allow unprecedented accuracy for sports simulators in which the limbs, along with the trunk, are especially relevant.

[0046] Aspects of the present specification may also be described as follows: [0047] 1. A method for monitoring a user's posture and providing posture-related feedback in real-time, the method comprising the steps of: positioning a plurality of sensors in contact with a back of the user for capturing data associated with the user's posture, the sensors in communication with a data module configured for obtaining and processing the data obtained by the sensors, wherein: a first end of each sensor is positioned proximal an imaginary horizontal midline of the user's back, said horizontal midline located substantially between a T1 1 vertebrae and a T12 vertebrae of the user; and an opposing second end of each sensor is positioned substantially on or beyond one of an imaginary horizontal upper line, located substantially between a T6 vertebrae and a T7 vertebrae of the user, or an imaginary horizontal lower line, located substantially between an L3 vertebrae and an L4 vertebrae of the user; and upon the user desiring to establish a new postural goal: obtaining an at least one set of N sequential sensor readings from the sensors, where N represents the number of sensors, while the user repeatedly performs a plurality of postural transitions between an at least one relatively effortless posture and a desired ideal posture; defining a good posture anchor comprising a set of N values associated with the ideal posture; defining a bad posture anchor comprising a set of N values associated with a non-ideal posture; and for each further set of N sensor readings obtained from the sensors: determining a postural evaluation for said further set of N sensor readings by applying an appropriate posture evaluation metric; and upon determining that the user's posture has fallen outside of a pre-defined ideal posture range, based on the postural evaluation for said further set of N sensor readings, providing the user with at least one of an audible notification, visual notification, and physical notification, thereby allowing the user to correct their posture. [0048] 2. The method according to embodiment 1 , further comprising the step of positioning the sensors wherein: the positions and arrangement of sensors in an upper right quadrant of the user's back mirror the positions and arrangement of sensors in an upper left quadrant of the user's back; and the positions and arrangement of sensors in a lower right quadrant of the user's back mirror the positions and arrangement of sensors in a lower left quadrant of the user's back.

[0049] 3. The method according to embodiments 1 -2, further comprising the step of positioning the sensors wherein each sensor is positioned relative to the user's back such that one of the first and second ends of said sensor is positioned proximal the vertebrae of the user, while the opposing other of the first and second ends of said sensor is positioned distal the vertebrae of the user. [0050] 4. The method according to embodiments 1 -3, further comprising the step of positioning the sensors wherein each sensor converges with the vertebrae of the user at one of either the horizontal midline or one of the horizontal upper line or horizontal lower line. [0051] 5. The method according to embodiments 1 -4, further comprising the step of positioning the sensors wherein each sensor intersects at least one other sensor.

[0052] 6. The method according to embodiments 1 -5, further comprising the step of positioning the sensors wherein: a first pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X- shaped arrangement in the upper left quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal upper line; a second pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X-shaped arrangement in the upper right quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal upper line; a third pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X-shaped arrangement in the lower left quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal lower line; and a fourth pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X-shaped arrangement in the lower right quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal lower line.

[0053] 7. The method according to embodiments 1-6, further comprising the step of attaching each of the sensors directly to the user's back using a temporary adhesive.

[0054] 8. The method according to embodiments 1-7, wherein the step of attaching each of the sensors further comprises the step of engaging the opposing first and second ends of each sensor with the user's back.

[0055] 9. The method according to embodiments 1-8, further comprising the step of attaching each of the sensors to a tight-fitting garment which, in turn, is selectively worn by the user.

[0056] 10. The method according to embodiments 1-9, wherein the step of attaching each of the sensors further comprises the step of engaging the opposing first and second ends of each sensor with the garment.

[0057] 1 1 . The method according to embodiments 1-10, further comprising the step of attaching each of the sensors to a relatively thin sensor membrane, the sensor membrane configured for being removably engaged with the garment. [0058] 12. The method according to embodiments 1-1 1 , wherein the step of attaching each of the sensors further comprises the step of engaging the opposing first and second ends of each sensor with the sensor membrane.

[0059] 13. The method according to embodiments 1-12, further comprising the step of calibrating the sensors through the user assuming a highly reproducible posture for a predefined period of time while the data module obtains the relevant data from each of the sensors. [0060] 14. The method according to embodiments 1 -13, wherein the step of calibrating the sensors further comprises the steps of: obtaining a set of N sequential initial sensor readings from the sensors, where N represents the number of sensors; averaging the N initial sensor readings over a pre-defined number of sampling periods; and upon further sets of N sensor readings being obtained, modifying said further sensor readings based on the initial sensor readings.

[0061] 15. The method according to embodiments 1-14, wherein the step of modifying said further sensor readings further comprises the step of subtracting the initial sensor readings from said further sensor readings.

[0062] 16. The method according to embodiments 1-15, wherein the step of defining a good posture anchor comprises the steps of: obtaining a centroid in /V-dimensional space based on the at least one set of N sequential sensor readings associated with the ideal posture; determining a direction of a main axis of variation of said sensor readings in /V-dimensional space using a first eigenvector from a principal component analysis; modifying the centroid by a pre-determined multiple of a standard deviation of said N sensor readings, along the direction of the main axis of variation; computing an energy of said N sensor readings from associated time values of said N sensor readings; and determining a relevance value for each of said N sensor readings by normalizing said computed energy by a total energy summed over all said N sensor readings from the associated time values.

[0063] 17. The method according to embodiments 1 -16, wherein the step of defining a bad posture anchor comprises the steps of: obtaining a centroid in /V-dimensional space based on the at least one set of N sequential sensor readings associated with the non-ideal posture; determining a direction of a main axis of variation of said sensor readings in /V-dimensional space using a first eigenvector from a principal component analysis; modifying the centroid by a pre-determined multiple of a standard deviation of said N sensor readings, along the direction of the main axis of variation; computing an energy of said N sensor readings from associated time values of said N sensor readings; and determining a relevance value for each of said N sensor readings by normalizing said computed energy by a total energy summed over all said N sensor readings from the associated time values.

[0064] 18. The method according to embodiments 1 -17, wherein the step of applying an appropriate posture evaluation metric further comprises the step of applying the following formula to said further set of N sensor readings:

where R, is the relevance value for the /-th mechanical deformation source, s, is the /-th component of the /V-dimensional sensor readings, s,^G is the /-th component of the good posture anchor, and s,^B is the /-th component of the bad posture anchor.

[0065] 19. The method according to embodiments 1-18, further comprising the step of implementing a user application residing in memory on an at least one user device in selective communication with the data module and configured for receiving and further processing select data from the data module.

[0066] 20. The method according to embodiments 1-19, further comprising the step of implementing an at least one data storage device in selective communication with at least one of the data module and at least one user device and configured for storing said data obtained by the sensors and processed by at least one of the data module and at least one user device.

[0067] 21 . The method according to embodiments 1 -20, further comprising the steps of: transforming the at least one set of N sensor readings into a corresponding at least one set of M signals that are capable of predicting a level of activity of M different independent anatomical sources of mechanical deformation that take place naturally in the user's torso; and determining a postural evaluation for the at least one set of M signals.

[0068] 22. The method according to embodiments 1 -21 , wherein the step of transforming the at least one set of N sensor readings comprises the step of utilizing an at least one encoder for generating the at least one set of M signals based on the at least one set of N sensor readings.

[0069] 23. The method according to embodiments 1 -22, further comprising the steps of: training an associated pre-encoder using a set of N sequential sensor readings from one or more known anatomical sources; for each of said N sensor readings, outputting, via the pre- encoder, a real value representing a degree of mechanical deformation source of the associated relevant sensor reading; and transmitting to the pre-encoder an at least one further set of N sensor readings obtained by said sensors for modifying the pre-encoder and generating a new encoder that better adapts to said at least one further set of N sensor readings obtained.

[0070] 24. The method according to embodiments 1-23, wherein the horizontal midline is located substantially between a T1 1 vertebrae and a T12 vertebrae of the user.

[0071] 25. The method according to embodiments 1-24, wherein the horizontal upper line is located substantially between a T6 vertebrae and a T7 vertebrae of the user.

[0072] 26. The method according to embodiments 1-25, wherein the horizontal lower line is located substantially between an L3 vertebrae and L4 vertebrae of the user. [0073] 27. The method according to embodiments 1 -26, wherein the first end of each sensor on an upper block of the user is positioned on or above the horizontal midline, while the first end of each sensor on a lower block of the user is positioned on or below the horizontal midline.

[0074] 28. A wearable posture sensor system for monitoring a user's posture and providing posture-related feedback in real-time, the system comprising: a plurality of sensors positionable in contact with a back of the user for capturing data associated with the user's posture, wherein: a first end of each sensor is positioned proximal an imaginary horizontal midline of the user's back, said horizontal midline located substantially between a T1 1 vertebrae and a T12 vertebrae of the user; and an opposing second end of each sensor is positioned substantially on or beyond one of an imaginary horizontal upper line, located substantially between a T6 vertebrae and a T7 vertebrae of the user, or an imaginary horizontal lower line, located substantially between an L3 vertebrae and an L4 vertebrae of the user; and a data module in communication with the sensors and configured for obtaining and processing the data obtained by the sensors; wherein, upon the user desiring to establish a new postural goal, the system is configured for: obtaining an at least one set of N sequential sensor readings from the sensors, where N represents the number of sensors, while the user repeatedly performs a plurality of postural transitions between an at least one relatively effortless posture and a desired ideal posture; defining a good posture anchor comprising a set of N values associated with the ideal posture; defining a bad posture anchor comprising a set of N values associated with a non-ideal posture; and for each further set of N sensor readings obtained from the sensors: determining a postural evaluation for said further set of N sensor readings by applying an appropriate posture evaluation metric; and upon determining that the user's posture has fallen outside of a pre-defined ideal posture range, based on the postural evaluation for said further set of N sensor readings, providing the user with at least one of an audible notification, visual notification, and physical notification, thereby allowing the user to correct their posture.

[0075] 29. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiment 28, wherein the system is further configured for calibrating the sensors through the user assuming a highly reproducible posture for a pre-defined period of time while the data module obtains the relevant data from each of the sensors.

[0076] 30. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-29, wherein while calibrating the sensors, the system is further configured for: obtaining a set of N sequential initial sensor readings from the sensors, where N represents the number of sensors; averaging the N initial sensor readings over a pre-defined number of sampling periods; and upon further sets of N sensor readings being obtained, modifying said further sensor readings based on the initial sensor readings.

[0077] 31 . The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-30, wherein while modifying said further sensor readings, the system is further configured for subtracting the initial sensor readings from said further sensor readings.

[0078] 32. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-31 , wherein while defining a good posture anchor, the system is further configured for: obtaining a centroid in /V-dimensional space based on the at least one set of N sequential sensor readings associated with the ideal posture; determining a direction of a main axis of variation of said sensor readings in /V-dimensional space using a first eigenvector from a principal component analysis; modifying the centroid by a pre-determined multiple of a standard deviation of said N sensor readings, along the direction of the main axis of variation; computing an energy of said N sensor readings from associated time values of said N sensor readings; and determining a relevance value for each of said N sensor readings by normalizing said computed energy by a total energy summed over all said N sensor readings from the associated time values. [0079] 33. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-32, wherein while defining a bad posture anchor, the system is further configured for: obtaining a centroid in /V-dimensional space based on the at least one set of N sequential sensor readings associated with the non-ideal posture; determining a direction of a main axis of variation of said sensor readings in /V-dimensional space using a first eigenvector from a principal component analysis; modifying the centroid by a pre-determined multiple of a standard deviation of said N sensor readings, along the direction of the main axis of variation; computing an energy of said N sensor readings from associated time values of said N sensor readings; and determining a relevance value for each of said N sensor readings by normalizing said computed energy by a total energy summed over all said N sensor readings from the associated time values. [0080] 34. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-33, wherein while applying an appropriate posture evaluation metric, the system is further configured for applying the following formula to said further set of N sensor readings:

[0081] 35. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-34, wherein the system is further configured for: transforming the at least one set of N sensor readings into a corresponding at least one set of M signals that are capable of predicting a level of activity of M different independent anatomical sources of mechanical deformation that take place naturally in the user's torso; and determining a postural evaluation for the at least one set of M signals. [0082] 36. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-35, wherein while transforming the at least one set of N sensor readings, the system is further configured for utilizing an at least one encoder for generating the at least one set of M signals based on the at least one set of N sensor readings. [0083] 37. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-36, wherein the system is further configured for: training an associated pre-encoder using a set of N sequential sensor readings from one or more known anatomical sources; for each of said N sensor readings, outputting, via the pre-encoder, a real value representing a degree of mechanical deformation source of the associated relevant sensor reading; and transmitting to the pre-encoder an at least one further set of N sensor readings obtained by said sensors for modifying the pre-encoder and generating a new encoder that better adapts to said at least one further set of N sensor readings obtained.

[0084] 38. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-37, wherein each of the sensors is an elongate capacitive strain sensor.

[0085] 39. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-38, wherein each of the sensors is an elongate resistive strain sensor. [0086] 40. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-39, wherein each of the sensors is coated in silicone.

[0087] 41 . The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-40, wherein each of the sensors is attached directly to the user's back using a temporary adhesive.

[0088] 42. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-41 , wherein a pair of opposing first and second ends of each sensor are engaged with the user's back. [0089] 43. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-42, wherein the data module is removably engaged with the user or otherwise stored on the user's person.

[0090] 44. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-43, wherein each of the sensors is attached to a tight-fitting garment which, in turn, is selectively worn by the user.

[0091] 45. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-44, wherein the garment is constructed out of a relatively flexible, elastic material. [0092] 46. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-45, wherein a pair of opposing first and second ends of each sensor are engaged with the garment.

[0093] 47. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-46, wherein each of the sensors is positioned on an inner surface of the garment so as to be in contact with the user's back when the garment is worn by the user, thereby sandwiching each of the sensors between the inner surface of the garment and the user's back.

[0094] 48. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-47, wherein each of the sensors is positioned on an outer surface of the garment.

[0095] 49. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-48, wherein each of the sensors is permanently attached to the garment.

[0096] 50. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-49, wherein each of the sensors is removably engaged with the garment.

[0097] 51 . The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-50, wherein the data module is attached to the garment. [0098] 52. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-51 , wherein each of the sensors is attached to a relatively thin sensor membrane, the sensor membrane configured for being removably engaged with the garment. [0099] 53. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-52, wherein a pair of opposing first and second ends of each sensor are engaged with the sensor membrane. [00100] 54. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-53, wherein the sensor membrane is constructed out of a relatively flexible, elastic material.

[00101 ] 55. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-54, wherein each of the sensors is permanently attached to the sensor membrane.

[00102] 56. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-55, wherein each of the sensors is removably engaged with the sensor membrane.

[00103] 57. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-56, wherein the data module is attached to the sensor membrane.

[00104] 58. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-57, wherein the data module is further configured for providing appropriate posture-related feedback to the user by way of at least one of audible notifications, visual notifications, and physical notifications.

[00105] 59. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-58, wherein the data module further provides an at least one module sensor positioned and configured for obtaining desired readings that may be incorporated into the analysis of the user's posture and potentially alter the provided posture-related feedback.

[00106] 60. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-59, wherein the at least one module sensor is an accelerometer. [00107] 61 . The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-60, further comprising a power supply in electrical communication with each of the sensors and data module.

[00108] 62. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-61 , further comprising a user application residing in memory on an at least one user device in selective communication with the data module and configured for receiving and further processing select data from the data module.

[00109] 63. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-62, further comprising an at least one data storage device in selective communication with at least one of the data module and at least one user device and configured for storing said data obtained by the sensors and processed by at least one of the data module and at least one user device.

[001 10] 64. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-63, wherein: the positions and arrangement of sensors in an upper right quadrant of the user's back mirror the positions and arrangement of sensors in an upper left quadrant of the user's back; and the positions and arrangement of sensors in a lower right quadrant of the user's back mirror the positions and arrangement of sensors in a lower left quadrant of the user's back.

[001 1 1 ] 65. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-64, wherein each sensor is positioned relative to the user's back such that one of the first and second ends of said sensor is positioned proximal the vertebrae of the user, while the opposing other of the first and second ends of said sensor is positioned distal the vertebrae of the user.

[001 12] 66. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-65, wherein each sensor converges with the vertebrae of the user at one of either the horizontal midline or one of the horizontal upper line or horizontal lower line.

[001 13] 67. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-66, wherein each sensor intersects at least one other sensor.

[001 14] 68. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-67, wherein: a first pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X-shaped arrangement in the upper left quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal upper line; a second pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X- shaped arrangement in the upper right quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal upper line; a third pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X-shaped arrangement in the lower left quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal lower line; and a fourth pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X-shaped arrangement in the lower right quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal lower line.

[001 15] 69. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-68, wherein the horizontal midline is located substantially between a T1 1 vertebrae and a T12 vertebrae of the user. [001 16] 70. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-69, wherein the horizontal upper line is located substantially between a T6 vertebrae and a T7 vertebrae of the user.

[001 17] 71 . The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-70, wherein the horizontal lower line is located substantially between an L3 vertebrae and L4 vertebrae of the user. [001 18] 72. The wearable posture sensor system according to embodiments 28-71 , wherein the first end of each sensor on an upper block of the user is positioned on or above the horizontal midline, while the first end of each sensor on a lower block of the user is positioned on or below the horizontal midline. [001 19] 73. A wearable posture sensor system for monitoring a user's posture and providing posture-related feedback in real-time, the system comprising: a plurality of sensors engaged with a tight-fitting garment which, in turn, is selectively worn by the user such that the sensors are positionable in contact with a back of the user for capturing data associated with the user's posture, wherein: a first end of each sensor is positioned proximal an imaginary horizontal midline of the user's back, said horizontal midline located substantially between a T1 1 vertebrae and a T12 vertebrae of the user; and an opposing second end of each sensor is positioned substantially on or beyond one of an imaginary horizontal upper line, located substantially between a T6 vertebrae and a T7 vertebrae of the user, or an imaginary horizontal lower line, located substantially between an L3 vertebrae and an L4 vertebrae of the user.

[00120] In closing, regarding the exemplary embodiments of the present invention as shown and described herein, it will be appreciated that a wearable posture sensor system and associated methods of use are disclosed and configured for monitoring a user's posture and providing feedback in real-time. Because the principles of the invention may be practiced in a number of configurations beyond those shown and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not in any way limited by the exemplary embodiments, but is generally directed to a wearable posture sensor system and is able to take numerous forms to do so without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the particular geometries and materials of construction disclosed, but may instead entail other functionally comparable structures or materials, now known or later developed, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. [00121 ] Certain embodiments of the present invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventor(s) for carrying out the invention. Of course, variations on these described embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventor(s) expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventor(s) intend for the present invention to be practiced otherwise than specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described embodiments in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

[00122] Groupings of alternative embodiments, elements, or steps of the present invention are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member may be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other group members disclosed herein. It is anticipated that one or more members of a group may be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all Markush groups used in the appended claims. [00123] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing a characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, term, and so forth used in the present specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about." As used herein, the term "about" means that the characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, or term so qualified encompasses a range of plus or minus ten percent above and below the value of the stated characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, or term. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical indication should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and values setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical ranges and values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical range or value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Recitation of numerical ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate numerical value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value of a numerical range is incorporated into the present specification as if it were individually recited herein. Similarly, as used herein, unless indicated to the contrary, the term "substantially" is a term of degree intended to indicate an approximation of the characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, or term so qualified, encompassing a range that can be understood and construed by those of ordinary skill in the art. [00124] Use of the terms "may" or "can" in reference to an embodiment or aspect of an embodiment also carries with it the alternative meaning of "may not" or "cannot." As such, if the present specification discloses that an embodiment or an aspect of an embodiment may be or can be included as part of the inventive subject matter, then the negative limitation or exclusionary proviso is also explicitly meant, meaning that an embodiment or an aspect of an embodiment may not be or cannot be included as part of the inventive subject matter. In a similar manner, use of the term "optionally" in reference to an embodiment or aspect of an embodiment means that such embodiment or aspect of the embodiment may be included as part of the inventive subject matter or may not be included as part of the inventive subject matter. Whether such a negative limitation or exclusionary proviso applies will be based on whether the negative limitation or exclusionary proviso is recited in the claimed subject matter.

[00125] The terms "a," "an," "the" and similar references used in the context of describing the present invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Further, ordinal indicators - such as "first," "second," "third," etc. - for identified elements are used to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate or imply a required or limited number of such elements, and do not indicate a particular position or order of such elements unless otherwise specifically stated. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate the present invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the present specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.

[00126] When used in the claims, whether as filed or added per amendment, the open-ended transitional term "comprising" (along with equivalent open-ended transitional phrases thereof such as "including," "containing" and "having") encompasses all the expressly recited elements, limitations, steps and/or features alone or in combination with un-recited subject matter; the named elements, limitations and/or features are essential, but other unnamed elements, limitations and/or features may be added and still form a construct within the scope of the claim. Specific embodiments disclosed herein may be further limited in the claims using the closed- ended transitional phrases "consisting of" or "consisting essentially of" in lieu of or as an amendment for "comprising." When used in the claims, whether as filed or added per amendment, the closed-ended transitional phrase "consisting of" excludes any element, limitation, step, or feature not expressly recited in the claims. The closed-ended transitional phrase "consisting essentially of" limits the scope of a claim to the expressly recited elements, limitations, steps and/or features and any other elements, limitations, steps and/or features that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed subject matter. Thus, the meaning of the open-ended transitional phrase "comprising" is being defined as encompassing all the specifically recited elements, limitations, steps and/or features as well as any optional, additional unspecified ones. The meaning of the closed-ended transitional phrase "consisting of" is being defined as only including those elements, limitations, steps and/or features specifically recited in the claim, whereas the meaning of the closed-ended transitional phrase "consisting essentially of" is being defined as only including those elements, limitations, steps and/or features specifically recited in the claim and those elements, limitations, steps and/or features that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed subject matter. Therefore, the open-ended transitional phrase "comprising" (along with equivalent open-ended transitional phrases thereof) includes within its meaning, as a limiting case, claimed subject matter specified by the closed-ended transitional phrases "consisting of" or "consisting essentially of." As such, embodiments described herein or so claimed with the phrase "comprising" are expressly or inherently unambiguously described, enabled and supported herein for the phrases "consisting essentially of" and "consisting of."

[00127] All patents, patent publications, and other publications referenced and identified in the present specification are individually and expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for the purpose of describing and disclosing, for example, the compositions and methodologies described in such publications that might be used in connection with the present invention. These publications are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing in this regard should be construed as an admission that the inventors are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention or for any other reason. All statements as to the date or representation as to the contents of these documents is based on the information available to the applicants and does not constitute any admission as to the correctness of the dates or contents of these documents.

[00128] It should be understood that the logic code, programs, modules, processes, methods, and the order in which the respective elements of each method are performed are purely exemplary. Depending on the implementation, they may be performed in any order or in parallel, unless indicated otherwise in the present disclosure. Further, the logic code is not related, or limited to any particular programming language, and may comprise one or more modules that execute on one or more processors in a distributed, non-distributed, or multiprocessing environment.

[00129] The methods as described above may be used in the fabrication of integrated circuit chips. The resulting integrated circuit chips can be distributed by the fabricator in raw wafer form (that is, as a single wafer that has multiple unpackaged chips), as a bare die, or in a packaged form. In the latter case, the chip is mounted in a single chip package (such as a plastic carrier, with leads that are affixed to a motherboard or other higher level carrier) or in a multi-chip package (such as a ceramic carrier that has either or both surface interconnections or buried interconnections). In any case, the chip is then integrated with other chips, discrete circuit elements, and/or other signal processing devices as part of either (a) an intermediate product, such as a motherboard, or (b) an end product. The end product can be any product that includes integrated circuit chips, ranging from toys and other low-end applications to advanced computer products having a display, a keyboard or other input device, and a central processor.

[00130] While aspects of the invention have been described with reference to at least one exemplary embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the inventor(s) believe that the claimed subject matter is the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring a user's posture and providing posture-related feedback in realtime, the method comprising the steps of:

positioning a plurality of sensors in contact with a back of the user for capturing data associated with the user's posture, the sensors in communication with a data module configured for obtaining and processing the data obtained by the sensors, wherein: a first end of each sensor is positioned proximal an imaginary horizontal midline of the user's back, said horizontal midline located substantially between a T8 vertebrae and a L1 vertebrae of the user; and

an opposing second end of each sensor is positioned substantially on or beyond one of an imaginary horizontal upper line, located substantially between a T1 vertebrae and a T8 vertebrae of the user, or an imaginary horizontal lower line, located substantially between an L1 vertebrae and an L4 vertebrae of the user; and upon the user desiring to establish a new postural goal:

obtaining an at least one set of N sequential sensor readings from the sensors, where N represents the number of sensors, while the user repeatedly performs a plurality of postural transitions between an at least one relatively effortless posture and a desired ideal posture;

defining a good posture anchor comprising a set of N values associated with the ideal posture;

defining a bad posture anchor comprising a set of N values associated with a non-ideal posture; and

for each further set of N sensor readings obtained from the sensors:

determining a postural evaluation for said further set of N sensor readings by applying an appropriate posture evaluation metric; and

upon determining that the user's posture has fallen outside of a pre-defined ideal posture range, based on the postural evaluation for said further set of N sensor readings, providing the user with at least one of an audible notification, visual notification, and physical notification, thereby allowing the user to correct their posture.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of positioning the sensors wherein:

a first pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X-shaped arrangement in the upper left quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal upper line;

a second pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X-shaped arrangement in the upper right quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal upper line;

a third pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X-shaped arrangement in the lower left quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal lower line; and

a fourth pair of sensors are positioned in a substantially X-shaped arrangement in the lower right quadrant, proximal the vertebrae of the user, with the first ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal midline and the opposing second ends of said sensors positioned proximal the horizontal lower line.

The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of attaching each of the sensors to a tight-fitting garment which, in turn, is selectively worn by the user.

The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of attaching each of the sensors to a relatively thin sensor membrane, the sensor membrane configured for being removably engaged with the garment.

The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of calibrating the sensors through the user assuming a highly reproducible posture for a pre-defined period of time while the data module obtains the relevant data from each of the sensors.

The method of claim 5, wherein the step of calibrating the sensors further comprises the steps of:

obtaining a set of N sequential initial sensor readings from the sensors, where N represents the number of sensors;

averaging the N initial sensor readings over a pre-defined number of sampling periods; and upon further sets of N sensor readings being obtained, modifying said further sensor readings based on the initial sensor readings.

The method of claim 6, wherein the step of modifying said further sensor readings further comprises the step of subtracting the initial sensor readings from said further sensor readings.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of defining a good posture anchor comprises the steps of:

obtaining a centroid in /V-dimensional space based on the at least one set of N sequential sensor readings associated with the ideal posture;

determining a direction of a main axis of variation of said sensor readings in /V-dimensional space using a first eigenvector from a principal component analysis;

modifying the centroid by a pre-determined multiple of a standard deviation of said N sensor readings, along the direction of the main axis of variation;

computing an energy of said N sensor readings from associated time values of said N sensor readings; and

determining a relevance value for each of said N sensor readings by normalizing said computed energy by a total energy summed over all said N sensor readings from the associated time values.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of defining a bad posture anchor comprises the steps of:

obtaining a centroid in /V-dimensional space based on the at least one set of N sequential sensor readings associated with the non-ideal posture;

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of applying an appropriate posture evaluation metric further comprises the step of applying the following formula to said further set of N sensor readings:

1 1. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

transforming the at least one set of N sensor readings into a corresponding at least one set of M signals that are capable of predicting a level of activity of M different independent anatomical sources of mechanical deformation that take place naturally in the user's torso; and

determining a postural evaluation for the at least one set of M signals.

12. The method of claim 1 1 , wherein the step of transforming the at least one set of N sensor readings comprises the step of utilizing an at least one encoder for generating the at least one set of M signals based on the at least one set of N sensor readings.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

training an associated pre-encoder using a set of N sequential sensor readings from one or more known anatomical sources;

for each of said N sensor readings, outputting, via the pre-encoder, a real value representing a degree of mechanical deformation source of the associated relevant sensor reading; and

transmitting to the pre-encoder an at least one further set of N sensor readings obtained by said sensors for modifying the pre-encoder and generating a new encoder that better adapts to said at least one further set of N sensor readings obtained.

14. A wearable posture sensor system for monitoring a user's posture and providing posture- related feedback in real-time, the system comprising:

a plurality of sensors positionable in contact with a back of the user for capturing data associated with the user's posture, wherein:

a first end of each sensor is positioned proximal an imaginary horizontal midline of the user's back, said horizontal midline located substantially between a T8 vertebrae and a L1 vertebrae of the user; and

an opposing second end of each sensor is positioned substantially on or beyond one of an imaginary horizontal upper line, located substantially between a T1 vertebrae and a T8 vertebrae of the user, or an imaginary horizontal lower line, located substantially between an L1 vertebrae and an L4 vertebrae of the user; and a data module in communication with the sensors and configured for obtaining and processing the data obtained by the sensors; wherein, upon the user desiring to establish a new postural goal, the system is configured for:

for each further set of N sensor readings obtained from the sensors:

15. The wearable posture sensor system of claim 14, wherein each of the sensors is attached to a tight-fitting garment which, in turn, is selectively worn by the user.

16. The wearable posture sensor system of claim 15, wherein each of the sensors is attached to a relatively thin sensor membrane, the sensor membrane configured for being removably engaged with the garment.

17. The wearable posture sensor system of claim 16, wherein a pair of opposing first and second ends of each sensor are engaged with the sensor membrane.

18. The wearable posture sensor system of claim 14, wherein each sensor is positioned relative to the user's back such that one of the first and second ends of said sensor is positioned proximal the vertebrae of the user, while the opposing other of the first and second ends of said sensor is positioned distal the vertebrae of the user.

19. The wearable posture sensor system of claim 18, wherein:

20. A wearable posture sensor system for monitoring a user's posture and providing posture- related feedback in real-time, the system comprising:

a plurality of sensors engaged with a tight-fitting garment which, in turn, is selectively worn by the user such that the sensors are positionable in contact with a back of the user for capturing data associated with the user's posture, wherein:

an opposing second end of each sensor is positioned substantially on or beyond one of an imaginary horizontal upper line, located substantially between a T1 vertebrae and a T8 vertebrae of the user, or an imaginary horizontal lower line, located substantially between an L1 vertebrae and an L4 vertebrae of the user.