Collapsible Walker With Segmented Support and Cable Brakes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wheeled walkers lack stability, portability, and adequate weight-bearing support, leading to issues with posture, balance, and user safety, particularly for mobility-impaired individuals who prefer to maintain independence with assistive devices rather than transitioning to alternative mobility aids.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible upright wheeled walker with a folding frame, adjustable forearm rests, and dual-shoe adjustable cable-operated wheel brakes, allowing for upright walking with upper body support and improved stability, featuring a polygonal footprint for enhanced balance and reduced grip strength requirements for braking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wheeled walkers are used, then basic mobility assistance is provided, but they lack stability and adequate weight-bearing support
Solution Approach 1:
The walker frame is divided into collapsible sections that can be folded together. The frame includes front and rear portions that can be collapsed toward each other, allowing the walker to be disassembled into compact segments for storage and transport while maintaining structural integrity during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The walker incorporates adjustable components including height-adjustable handles and forearm supports that can be dynamically repositioned. The frame transitions between stable deployed configuration and compact collapsed configuration, adapting to different operational states of mobility assistance and storage.
2Ease of operation
If conventional wheeled walkers are used, then mobility assistance is provided, but they are heavy and difficult to handle and store
Solution Approach 1:
The walker frame is divided into collapsible sections that can be folded together. The frame includes front and rear portions that can be collapsed toward each other, allowing the walker to be disassembled into compact segments for storage and transport while maintaining structural integrity during use.
3Ease of operation
If conventional wheeled walkers are used, then basic support is provided, but they require significant grip strength for braking
Solution Approach 1:
A cable-operated braking system serves as an intermediary mechanism between the user's gentle grip on the handle and the braking force applied to the wheels. The cable transmission system multiplies and transmits the braking force efficiently, allowing users with limited hand strength to control wheel braking through minimal grip effort.
4Reliability
If conventional wheeled walkers are used, then mobility assistance is provided, but they do not provide adequate upper body support
Solution Approach 1:
The upper body support system is segmented into separate functional components including handles at a first height and forearm supports at a second height. This segmentation allows independent adjustment and optimization of each support element while maintaining overall structural coherence.
Solution Approach 2:
The walker provides support in multiple vertical dimensions by positioning handles and forearm supports at different heights. This multi-level vertical arrangement creates a polygonal support footprint that distributes upper body weight across multiple contact points, enhancing stability and weight-bearing capacity.
5Reliability
If conventional wheeled walkers are used, then basic mobility assistance is provided, but they lack adequate balance support
Solution Approach 1:
The walker provides support in multiple vertical dimensions by positioning handles and forearm supports at different heights. This multi-level vertical arrangement creates a polygonal support footprint that distributes upper body weight across multiple contact points, enhancing stability and weight-bearing capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible upright wheeled walker with adjustable armrests that support sufficient user upper-body weight to facilitate a natural upright gait and provide unassisted mobility for a wide range of mobility-impaired individuals. The apparatus may be easily and quickly folded (and unfolded) and may include bilateral stabilizing wheel suspensions to facilitate navigation over uneven terrain. The apparatus includes a frame-stiffening folder assembly and may also include mechanical brakes, an adjustable upper armrest assembly with removable padded forearm supports and two pairs of handles, at least one of which is disposed sufficiently forward to place the user within the polygonal footprint defined by the front and rear wheels to provide support without leaning, stooping, or risking falls.