Sensepack: An in-between wearable for body-backpack communication

Backpacks are often heavy and can be a significant cause of pain. To avoid pain, they must be worn in a certain way and readjusted when they move. Yet, recognising when to adjust a backpack is not self-evident. It is an evolving embodied process-a subtle, negotiation between body and pack. We present Sensepack, a wearable that sits in-between a backpacker's body and their pack. Sensepack supports novice backpackers to learn to recognise and sense backpack displacement. It monitors shifts in weight distribution, using four textile-sensors to determine imbalances and provides tactile, real-time feedback. We evaluated Sensepack through user testing-indoors on stairs, and in the field. Our preliminary findings suggest that Sensepack may be useful for learning to identify shifts in backpack weight that can cause long-term stress on the body.