Drowsiness Detection Chair with Wave Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prolonged seated inactivity leads to blood pooling in the lower extremities, causing drowsiness, reduced attentiveness, and various health issues such as sleep apnea and varicose veins, due to reduced muscle activity and subsequent venous blood flow.
Innovation Solution
A chair with adjustable support segments or electrodes that sense drowsiness parameters and apply a wave of varying elevation or electrical stimuli from the lower extremities to the upper body, mimicking muscle contractions to reverse blood pooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a person remains in a seated posture for a period of time, then the person can maintain a stable working position, but venous blood shifts disproportionately away from the brain and into the lower extremities causing drowsiness and reduced attentiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies periodic muscle stimulations to the lower extremities at predetermined intervals during seated periods. These periodic contractions mimic the natural muscle activity that occurs during walking or exercise, preventing blood pooling while maintaining the seated position. The stimulations are delivered in cycles, creating a rhythmic pumping action that counteracts gravity's effect on venous blood.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the person's own muscle tissue to perform the blood pumping function. By stimulating the person's leg muscles to contract, the system enables the muscles to serve their natural physiological role of assisting venous return, rather than requiring an external mechanical pump or device to move the blood.
2Reliability
If normal physical activity such as walking or exercise is engaged in, then muscle contractions assist in pumping blood upwardly away from lower extremities, but this requires leaving the seated working position
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the need for whole-body mechanical activity (walking or exercise) with localized electrical or mechanical stimulations applied only to the lower extremity muscles. This substitution allows the blood pumping function to be achieved through targeted muscle contractions rather than requiring the person to leave their seated position and engage in full-body physical activity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the blood pumping function from the overall body movement. Instead of requiring coordinated whole-body motion as in walking, the system isolates and stimulates only the specific muscle groups in the lower extremities that are responsible for venous return, allowing seated work to continue uninterrupted.
3Ease of operation
If blood pooling in lower extremities is allowed to occur during seated inactivity, then the person can remain seated comfortably, but this contributes to sleep apnea, varicose veins, and other health issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary stimulations to prevent blood pooling before it can cause harmful effects. By activating muscle contractions during the seated period, the system proactively counteracts the gravitational force that would otherwise cause venous blood to pool in the lower extremities, preventing the development of edema, varicose veins, and sleep apnea before these conditions can arise.
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
The solution effectively reduces blood pooling, improving alertness and reducing the risk of drowsiness-related health and safety issues, while also addressing long-term health consequences like sleep apnea and varicose veins.
Implementation Method 1
The crests of the wave cause a compression or contraction of the individual's muscles which pushes blood from the lower extremities into the upper body
Implementation Method 2
a wave of electrical stimuli is applied against the human body in response to detection of drowsiness. The electrical stimuli cause periodic tightening and relaxing of the muscles
Implementation Method 3
Consequently, while gravity continues to attract blood downward into the lower extremities, the muscles are not assisting in moving the blood upward in the body
Data Source
AI summary
A human body support, such as a chair, has a plurality of support segments that are arranged in an array. Each support segment has a protrusion elevation that is independently variable and controllable in its distance of protrusion elevation against the supported human body. A sensor is connected to a human body on the support and senses a human body parameter that can indicate the presence of drowsiness. A controller analyzes the sensed parameter to detect whether the sensed parameter is within a range indicating the presence of drowsiness. The controller applies a wave of varying segment protrusion elevation against the human body in response to the detection of drowsiness. The wave progresses in a direction from an inferior location on the human body toward a more superior location. Alternatively, a wave of electrical stimuli is applied by similarly positioned electrodes and causes periodic tightening and relaxing of proximate muscles.