# A seated exercise Internet of Things (IoT) device to enhance compliance rates for cardiac rehabilitation

> **NIH NIH R43** · ACTIV SITTING, INC. · 2021 · $299,624

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The long term goal of this Phase I project is to commercialize an in-home device that facilitates significant levels
of ongoing exercise while safely seated, that can enable intuitive engagement by the user, that doesn’t interfere
with tasking, reading or other activities, that can significantly reduce sedentary behavior, and that can aggregate
and display usage data with biometrics derived from other sources to present an actionable picture of one’s
health and remote monitoring of changes in health status. By doing so, we expect to substantially raise
compliance to prescribed levels of energy expenditure of a cardiac rehab program. This application requests
funds to develop the FitSitt, a highly comfortable chair with a uniquely articulating dynamic seatand back support
that actively respond to, follow, and support the user's movements while integrating a synchronously-moving
treadle with which to exercise legs. The technology proposed will transform sitting from sedentariness to
movement and exercise and may contribute preventive and ameliorative cardio-metabolic health benefits to a
target market of nearly 31 million inactive adults aged 65+ in the US and prolong years of independent living.
While cardiac rehab is proven to dramatically reduce mortality and provide important health benefits, it is woefully
under-utilized. Sedentary behavior is directly linked to a dramatic rise in chronic disease, but sedentary older
adults are not likely to maintain exercise habits, so the approach is for FitSitt to convert a portion of sitting time
from sedentary to active, distributed across the day, enabling movement experienced as effortless because it is
convenient, easy to use, available, and comfortable. Preliminary studies show that the energy expenditure at a
low resistance setting for the current Fitsitt 0.5 is equivalent to walking 1 mph. The primary objective of this
project is to complete development of an advanced FitSitt 1.0 prototype, expanding its features to assure safety,
increase technical merit and likelihood of feasibility for home use. The specific Aims are: Aim 1a:
Engineer/upgrade FitSitt 0.5’s features for optimal in-home maneuverabilityand comfort over extended periods.
Aim 1b: Design, then calibrate algorithms to collect use statistics data from on-board sensors. Aggregate,
correlate, and calibrate with heart rate data derived from a separate wearable. Aim 2: Validate data collection
and calibration, and evaluate usability of combined-feature FitSitt 1.0. Older adults who have experienced a
cardiac event within the past 6 months will have unstructured use of the chair in their own homes during a 24-
hour period and then complete a user experience interview and rating including a modified System Usability
Scale. Plans for Phase II include further refinement of hardware and expansion of software capabilities toward
commercialization, and the construction of 10 advanced prototypes for additional and extended u...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10255736
- **Project number:** 1R43HL158319-01
- **Recipient organization:** ACTIV SITTING, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Roger LEIB
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $299,624
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-04-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10255736

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10255736, A seated exercise Internet of Things (IoT) device to enhance compliance rates for cardiac rehabilitation (1R43HL158319-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10255736. Licensed CC0.

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