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Automatic Pneumatic Pressure Balancing Saddle Pad for Equine Back Health
- Program: Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Course: EN.520.498 ECE Senior Design
- Year: 2026
Project Description:
SaddleReady is a proactive, data-driven saddle pad designed to prevent equine injuries. It integrates an array of inflatable and deflatable silicone pads with thin-film pressure sensors to capture high-resolution pressure maps and enable precise, localized adjustments at each independent pad.
Beyond its physical functionality, SaddleReady includes a streamlined mobile app that presents pressure data clearly and intuitively. Users can calibrate, save, and reuse saddle configurations for different horses and riders, enabling consistent and personalized fit across rides. Internally, communication between pad arrays and control units is handled via I2C, while real-time data is transmitted to the user interface over Bluetooth.
Project Photo:
The SaddleReady PCB is displayed. It implements two microcontrollers: the STM32C092RCT6 for pressure sensor processing and pulse-width modulation motor control, as well as the Seeed Studio Xiao ESP32-C5 for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmission.