Mukesh Sankhla's SitSense Checks Your Posture with Edge AI — and Locks Your PC if You Slouch

Software engineer and maker Mukesh Sankhla has designed a slick wearable gadget that aims to improve your posture — by using an Espressif ESP32-S3, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), and an on-device machine learning model to lock your computer when you slouch.

"Have you ever caught yourself slouching at your desk, neck craned forward like a tech-savvy turtle, wondering why your back feels like it's plotting against you? That’s me, bad posture and all," Sankhla explains. "But instead of just grumbling about it, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Introducing SitSense, your personal posture enforcer that's as relentless about good posture as your mom telling you to sit up straight!"

The SitSense, at its most basic, is a DFRobot FireBeetle 2 Espressif ESP32-S3 microcontroller development board connected to a TDK InvenSense MPU-6050 inertial measurement unit, buzzer, and battery pack. Housed in 3D-printed case, the device connects to the user's clothing with a magnetic mounting system and monitors for changes in the IMU's measurements. If a slouch is detected, a buzzer sounds an alarm; if you're not sitting up straight within ten seconds, your desktop or laptop is locked.

There's a second variant of the SitSense, though, and one that's a little smarter — using, as it does, an on-device machine learning model developed using Edge Impulse Studio. Trained on data gathered by the device itself, this model can more accurately distinguish between good and bad posture — classifying the readings as "good" or "bad" and acting accordingly.

Wiring diagrams, parts list, and source code for the project are available on Sankhla's Instructables page.