Care chair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with mobility issues, such as the elderly and those recovering from injuries, face challenges in exercising and stretching without assistance, leading to physical degradation and increased reliance on aids like lift chairs and wheelchairs due to the lack of effective mobility and exercise solutions.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable chair equipped with multiple mechanisms like lifting, reclining, yaw, and roll mechanisms that facilitate guided exercises and stretches, allowing users to safely perform various physical movements and exercises independently, reducing the need for direct caretaker intervention and minimizing the risk of falls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a person uses a traditional lift chair for mobility assistance, then they can move between sitting and standing positions, but they cannot perform exercises and stretches independently
Solution Approach 1:
The chair is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides mobility assistance (lift function) and simultaneously enables exercise and stretching capabilities through coordinated movement of the seat and backrest. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the chair adaptable for both mobility support and independent exercise.
Solution Approach 2:
The chair incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms where the seat and backrest can move independently and coordinately through various ranges of motion. This dynamic capability allows the chair to adapt to different exercise requirements while maintaining ease of operation through automated or assisted movement.
2Reliability
If a person lacks stretching and exercise capability, then they rely on lift chairs for mobility, but this lack of physical activity further degrades their physical condition
Solution Approach 1:
The chair enables users to perform exercises and stretches independently without requiring external assistance or caretakers. The automated or assisted movement mechanisms allow users to actively engage in physical therapy exercises, thereby improving their physical condition while maintaining reliable mobility assistance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple mechanisms are added to facilitate exercises, then user independence and physical activity increase, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The chair combines multiple functions (lifting, reclining, tilting, and exercise assistance) into a single integrated device. By merging these mechanisms into one coordinated system rather than separate devices, the chair achieves high adaptability for various exercises while managing device complexity through unified control and integrated structural design.
Data Source
AI summary
Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to adjustable chairs with a plurality of adjustment points to facilitate enhanced user mobility and increase a user's physical activity through guided exercises and stretches. In one example embodiment, a chair is disclosed including a lifting mechanism to assist a user from a seating to a standing position and facilitates standing stretches through a number of motion and rotation mechanisms.