Assisted Back Extension Machine with Pivoting Pad
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with weak lower back muscles often struggle to perform unassisted back extensions due to insufficient strength, and existing exercise machines provide resistance rather than assistance, which can be harmful for those with spinal column issues, necessitating external assistance from a person.
Innovation Solution
A floor-standing exercise machine with a stationary pad and pivoting pad that provides adjustable assistance through a weight stack and pulley system, allowing users to perform back extensions with reduced muscular force, enabling variable assistance without external help.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a user performs an unassisted back extension to strengthen lower back muscles, then the lower back muscles are exercised, but users with insufficient strength cannot complete the exercise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the anti-weight principle by using a weight stack and pulley system to provide an upward assisting force that counteracts the downward gravitational force on the user's upper body. This allows users with weak lower back muscles to perform back extensions by reducing the effective weight they must lift, making the exercise accessible to those who cannot perform unassisted repetitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by allowing the assistance level to be adjusted through different weight stack configurations. The system can be tuned to provide varying degrees of assistance (from full assistance to minimal assistance), enabling progressive overload as users strengthen their lower back muscles over time.
2Ease of operation
If a person assists another person during back extension by lifting the upper body, then the user can perform the exercise with insufficient strength, but the presence of another person is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the self-service principle by replacing the need for human assistance with an automated mechanical assistance system. The weight stack and pulley mechanism automatically provide the necessary lifting force without requiring another person to physically assist the user, making the exercise independent and self-contained.
3Strength
If a machine provides resistance to back extension motion, then the exercise can be intensified, but spinal column compression occurs which is harmful for users with spinal problems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the inversion principle by reversing the traditional resistance model. Instead of providing resistance that opposes the back extension motion (which would compress the spine), the machine provides assistance that works in the same direction as the desired motion, lifting the upper body upward. This inverted approach eliminates spinal compression while still enabling muscle strengthening through progressive assistance reduction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables users to perform back extensions with reduced risk of spinal compression, strengthening lower back muscles and reducing lower back pain, while allowing for adjustable assistance to accommodate different user strengths.
Implementation Method 1
a means for providing a constant upward force to the pivoting pad that is sufficient to hold the pivoting pad in the first position when not in use
Implementation Method 2
a means for providing an adjustable upward force to the pivoting pad that partially offsets a downward gravitational force exerted by the user's upper torso
Data Source
AI summary
A floor standing exercise machine enables a user to perform an assisted back extension to exercise his lower back. The exercise machine contains: (a) a frame; (b) a stationary pad angled at about 30 to 60 degrees to the floor for supporting the user's lower body; (c) a footrest for supporting the user's feet; (d) a horizontal restraint bar for restraining the user's lower body against the stationary pad; (e) a pivoting pad connected to the top of the stationary pad, the pivoting pad being movable between a first position parallel to the stationary pad to a second position that is angled downward from the first position; (f) a means for providing a sufficient upward force to the pivoting pad to hold the pivoting pad in the first position when not in use; (g) a means for providing an adjustable upward force to the pivoting pad that partially offsets a downward gravitational force exerted by the user's upper torso.