Title: Effect of Backpacks with Air Mesh Back Panel and Curved Board in Running
Abstract: Elementary school students carry heavy backpacks and there are some reports that the heavy backpack induces fatigue and back pain. This study proposed a backpack structure to reduce a load and analyzed the effect of the backpack structure through an experiment. The key features of the backpack structure were a three-dimensional padded back panel and a curved board. In the experiment, five pressure sensors measured the pressures between the backpack and the participant's body parts. Both the three-dimensional padded back panel and the curved board increased the contact area between the back and the backpack. Two acceleration sensors also measured the three-dimensional acceleration of the backpack and the participant. The backpack structure decreased the load of the backpack in running with a significant difference. Comparison between results using the backpack and conventional backpack revealed the effectiveness of the proposed backpack structure.