Guide

Aligno
Posture Monitor

A wearable sensor and companion app that watches your posture throughout the day — quietly, in real time.

v1.0 · May 2026
01

How it works

Aligno clips to your back or sits on your desk. A tiny motion sensor (IMU) inside measures the angle of your body 10 times per second. The app on your PC receives these readings over Bluetooth and computes a posture score from 0 to 100.

When your posture drifts and stays poor long enough, the device gently vibrates to remind you to sit up — no notifications, no noise, just a discreet buzz.

No constant alerts. The app waits a few seconds before reacting to a change, so normal movements like reaching for a cup won't trigger anything.
02

First-time setup

1

Charge the device

Connect via USB-C until the charge LED turns off. A full charge takes about 1–2 hours.

2

Attach the sensor

Place it on your upper back, centred between your shoulder blades, flat against your body. The orientation matters — if the sensor is tilted you'll get inaccurate readings.

3

Launch the app

Run gui.py (or the Aligno shortcut). The app starts scanning for the sensor automatically.

4

Hold still for calibration

Sit in your ideal upright position. The ring fills as the app learns your baseline. Takes about 5 seconds of stillness. You'll see "You're all set!" when done.

5

Go about your day

The app runs quietly in the corner of your screen. You only need to pay attention when it vibrates.

03

Understanding the interface

80 score
Track — 360° background ring (always visible)
Arc — fills based on your posture score
Centre number — current score (0–100)
Background — changes colour with posture state

Below the ring you'll see three lines of text:

Message line

A short coaching phrase matching your current posture state — e.g. "Good posture" or "Roll your shoulders back".

Stats line

Your percentage of good posture today and a trend arrow (↑ better, ↓ worse, → similar vs. last session).

Status line

Session uptime and battery level — e.g. "⏱ 14m 32s 🔋 74%".

The top bar holds five buttons:

⊟

History

View past sessions and today's heatmap

⚙

Settings

Choose vibration intensity profile

ⓘ

Info

Scoring thresholds explained

–

Compact mode

Shrink to just the ring; double-click to expand

×

Close

Saves session and shows summary on exit

04

Posture states

Aligno uses four states. The app doesn't jump between them instantly — it waits to confirm a sustained change before acting, so small fidgets don't count.

Good posture

You're sitting well. The ring breathes slowly and the background is a deep green. Score 80–100.

No vibration · streak timer starts

Ease your back

A small lean detected. The app gives you 10 seconds to self-correct before logging this state.

Vibrates after ~8 s sustained poor posture (Normal profile)

Roll your shoulders back

Noticeable slouch. The background shifts to warm amber. Sit up — you'll feel it in your lower back.

Vibrates after ~20 s sustained poor posture (Normal profile)

Time to sit up

Significant slouch held for a while. A stronger vibration pattern fires to get your attention.

Vibrates after ~35 s sustained poor posture (Normal profile)

Transitions are gradual. The background colour animates smoothly between states — you'll never see a jarring jump.
05

Calibrating your posture

Calibration tells Aligno what your good posture looks like. Because everyone's body and setup is different, this step is essential.

1

Sit in your ideal position

Sit the way you want to sit all day — upright, relaxed, feet flat on the floor. Don't over-straighten; that's not sustainable.

2

Hold still for 5 seconds

The app automatically calibrates on first connect. After that, press "Calibrate posture" at the bottom of the window any time you want to reset the baseline.

3

Wait for the confirmation

The ring pulses and the status bar shows "Calibrated ✓". If it says "Hold still a little longer", you moved too much — try again.

Recalibrate whenever you change position — if you switch from a desk chair to a sofa, or if the device shifts, tap Calibrate again.
06

Compact mode

Compact mode shrinks the window to just the ring and the top bar buttons — useful when you need screen space but still want posture feedback at a glance.

Entering compact mode

Click the – button in the top bar, or double-click anywhere on the ring.

Leaving compact mode

Click the + button that replaces the –, or double-click the ring again.

Moving the window

Click and drag anywhere on the window (in either mode). Position is saved and restored on the next launch.

Aligno in compact mode — only the ring visible in the corner of the screen
The ring still breathes in green and pulses on state changes even in compact mode — you don't lose any feedback.
07

History & stats

Click the ⊟ History button to open the history panel. It has two tabs:

Past Days

A bar chart of your last 14 days. Each bar shows average good-posture percentage for that day. The dashed line is the 80% daily goal. Tap any bar to see details. Below the chart: 7-day average, best session, total usage time, and time since last charge.

Today

A heatmap of your current session — one coloured block every 30 seconds. Scroll to see the full timeline. Green = good, yellow = heads up, orange = slouching, red = bad.

Sessions are saved automatically every 60 seconds and again when you close the app. Up to 90 days of history are stored locally.
08

Vibration settings

Click the ⚙ Settings button to change how quickly and firmly the device responds to poor posture.

Off

No vibration at all. Visual feedback only.

Gentle

Slow to trigger, long cooldown. Good if you find vibrations distracting.

Normal (default)

Balanced feedback. Triggers after 8–35 seconds of poor posture, 15-second cooldown between buzzes.

Aggressive

Triggers quickly and buzzes often. Good for building new habits faster.

Your choice is saved automatically and remembered across sessions.

09

Using without a phone / PC

Aligno works completely standalone — no app needed. If the sensor doesn't find a Bluetooth connection within 10 seconds of powering on, it enters offline mode automatically.

1

Calibration countdown

The device buzzes three times (1 second apart) as a countdown. After the third buzz, sit in your good posture position.

2

5-second learning window

Hold still for 5 seconds. The device silently measures your angle and stores it as the reference.

3

Monitoring begins

The device monitors your posture and vibrates exactly as it would with the app connected — single buzz for a warning, double for bad, triple for critical.

If you open the app while in offline mode, the device reconnects automatically and switches back to connected mode. Your offline session data isn't synced to history, but the device keeps working seamlessly.
10

Tips for best results

📍

Sensor placement matters

Upper back, centred between the shoulder blades, flat against your body. If it's tilted sideways you'll get false readings.

🔄

Recalibrate when you change chairs

Different chairs have different tilt. A 2-second recalibration after moving keeps things accurate.

🎯

Start with Gentle, then level up

If you're new to posture training, start on Gentle. Your muscles need time to build the habit before you add more pressure.

🔋

Charge overnight

The battery lasts a full work day. Charge it at your desk or overnight so it's always ready.

🧘

Don't over-straighten

Calibrate in a comfortable upright position, not a rigid military posture. Sustainable is better than perfect.

⏱

Take breaks

After 90 minutes of continuous use the app reminds you to stretch. Even great posture needs movement — stand up, walk around.

🖱

Right-click for debug info

Right-click anywhere on the window to toggle debug mode — shows live roll angle and battery voltage. Useful for troubleshooting sensor placement.

11

Frequently asked questions

Does it use a camera?
No — and it never will. Aligno uses a single motion sensor (IMU) clipped to your clothing. It measures angle, not image. There is no camera, no microphone, nothing that can see or record you.
Does it work offline, without a computer?
Yes, fully. If it doesn't find a Bluetooth connection within 10 seconds of powering on, it enters offline mode automatically. Calibrates itself with a vibration countdown, then monitors and vibrates just like it would with the app connected. No phone or PC needed.
How long does the battery last?
A full charge lasts a typical 8-hour workday. Charge overnight via USB-C and it's ready every morning. Charging takes 1–2 hours.
Does it vibrate constantly?
No. It only fires when your posture has been poor for a sustained period — not from a single lean or reaching for a coffee. There's a built-in delay (seconds, not milliseconds) and a cooldown between vibrations so it's never overwhelming. You can also adjust the sensitivity in the app.
Does it work on Mac?
The current companion app is Windows only. Mac support is planned for a future release. The device itself works in offline mode on any OS — the app is optional.
Does it work on Linux?
There is no official Linux app yet. If you're comfortable with Python, the source is available and the BLE stack (Bleak) runs on Linux. Official support is under consideration.
Is my posture data stored locally?
100% locally. Everything — your session history, posture score timeline, calibration — lives only on your machine. We have no servers, no accounts, no cloud sync. We literally cannot access your data, and we designed it that way on purpose.