Effect of Backpacks with Air Mesh Back Panel and Curved Board in Running

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.