Behind-User Walker with Honeycomb Tires for Strain Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing walkers are uncomfortable and lack sufficient support for elderly users, causing wrist strain and backaches, and have small, hard plastic wheels that struggle with obstacles, leading to instability and difficulty in navigating uneven terrain.
Innovation Solution
A mobility assistant apparatus with armrests that distribute weight across the forearms, providing stability and comfort, and features large, low-impact tires with a honeycomb structure that conform to obstacles, allowing for smoother navigation and reduced strain on the user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional small hard plastic wheels are used, then the walker structure remains simple and lightweight, but the walker cannot navigate obstacles smoothly and creates vibration and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by using flexible rubber wheels with honeycomb structural elements instead of traditional hard plastic wheels. The flexible rubber material allows the wheels to conform to obstacles and terrain variations, while the honeycomb structure provides structural support and shock absorption. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of manufacture through a modular wheel design while dramatically improving obstacle navigation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies this principle by combining rubber material with honeycomb structural elements to create composite wheels. The rubber provides flexibility and shock absorption, while the honeycomb structure adds rigidity and load-bearing capacity. This composite approach allows the wheels to navigate obstacles smoothly without requiring complex mechanical suspension systems, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while improving performance.
2Device complexity
If the walker provides minimal support, then the device complexity remains low, but the user experiences wrist strain and backaches due to insufficient support
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by transitioning from a traditional front-facing walker design to a behind-user walker design. This dimensional change in positioning allows the walker to provide support in a different spatial configuration, enabling the user to maintain an upright posture rather than leaning forward. The rearward position of the walker creates a support structure that naturally aligns with the user's center of gravity, reducing strain on the wrists and back without requiring complex additional support mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies this principle by inverting the traditional walker configuration - instead of the walker being in front of the user with handles for pushing, the walker is positioned behind the user with the support structure reversed. This inversion changes the interaction dynamics, allowing the user to walk naturally without hunching over, thereby eliminating wrist and back strain while keeping the device structurally simple.
3Force
If the user leans forward on the walker, then the walker can provide some support, but the user experiences wrist strain and the walker does not provide sufficient overall support
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by repositioning the walker from a front-facing configuration to a behind-user configuration. This spatial repositioning changes the vector and distribution of support forces, allowing the walker to bear the user's weight through the frame structure rather than concentrating force on the wrist-area handles. The dimensional change in positioning enables full-body support through proper posture alignment, eliminating the need for the user to lean forward and thus preventing wrist strain.
Data Source
AI summary
An improved mobility assistance apparatus designed for the elderly is disclosed herein. The apparatus alleviates wrist and back strain and increases stability by distributing the users weight across his or her forearms onto a pair of armrests. The user stands centered inside of the improved mobility assistance apparatus which provides better stability in all directions, helping to keep users from falling over backwards or to the side as is common with existing walkers. The wheels of the improved mobility assistance apparatus conform to obstacles in the ground, creating a smoother walking experience.