Angular Foot Harness for Lower Body Cable Machine Exercises
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current foot harnesses for lower body resistance exercises do not properly encapsulate and stabilize the foot, leading to unnatural pull on the foot and inadequate engagement of proprioception, resulting in suboptimal targeting of lower body muscles.
Innovation Solution
A foot harness with an angular harness portion and adjustable attachment system that directs resistance to the sole of the foot, using straps that loop around the heel and sole, providing a natural range of motion and stabilizing the foot during exercises.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If straps extend off the foot harness at a perpendicular angle, then the attachment to resistance is simplified, but it causes an unnatural pull on the user's foot and fails to properly engage proprioception
Solution Approach 1:
The harness portion is designed with dynamic angle adjustment capability, allowing the attachment angle to change from perpendicular to angled (e.g., 45 degrees) relative to the foot. This enables the system to adapt between simplified attachment and natural foot movement requirements during different exercise phases
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment angle parameter is made variable rather than fixed. The harness can transition between different angular configurations (perpendicular for stability, angled for natural motion), allowing optimization of both attachment simplicity and foot movement naturalness through parameter adjustment
2Device complexity
If resistance is attached at the front of the ankle or top of the foot, then the harness structure is simplified, but the point of resistance is unnaturally placed and maximum targeting of lower body muscles is not realized
Solution Approach 1:
The resistance attachment point is repositioned from traditional locations (front of ankle or top of foot) to the sole of the foot, representing a spatial dimension change. This new attachment location on the plantar surface enables more effective engagement of posterior chain muscles while maintaining reasonable structural complexity through the angular harness design
3Device complexity
If the foot harness does not properly encapsulate the foot, then the harness design is simpler, but it fails to stabilize the foot and ride up the user's leg during exercise
Solution Approach 1:
The foot harness is divided into multiple functional segments including a heel cup portion, a midfoot portion, and an angular harness portion. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific stabilization function while collectively preventing the harness from riding up the leg during exercise movements
Data Source
AI summary
A foot or leg harness is disclosed for use with a means of resistance. The harness provides improved muscle activation for lower body exercises. The foot or leg harness includes a harness portion to attach user. The harness is designed to attach to a means of resistance. The point of resistance is distributed into the harness through an angular strap portion so that resistance for the exercise is encompassing the foot or leg as a unit rather than one particular area.