Elastic Tether Walker for Parkinson's Freezing of Gait
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with Parkinson's disease using wheeled walkers often experience embarrassing and dangerous situations during Freezing of Gait episodes, where the walker moves away from them, potentially leading to falls, due to the lack of a mechanism to control the walker's distance and movement.
Innovation Solution
A tethered belt system integrated with a braking mechanism is attached to the wheeled walker, allowing the user to limit the walker's movement and apply brakes when necessary, preventing excessive distance and potential falls by adjusting tension and using elastic components or break-away buckles for safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a wheeled walker is used to provide mobility assistance, then mobility and stability are improved, but the walker may move away from the user during Freezing of Gait episodes, creating safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the tether from rigid to elastic, allowing it to stretch and retract dynamically. This elastic parameter change enables the tether to accommodate the user's movement variations during FOG episodes while maintaining connection, resolving the contradiction between mobility and safety control.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic tether acts as an intermediary element between the user and the walker. It mediates the interaction by providing a flexible connection that can absorb distance variations, preventing the walker from moving away completely while still allowing free movement during normal walking.
2Reliability
If a rigid tether is used to connect the user to the walker, then the walker distance is controlled, but it may cause injury during falls or loss of balance
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic tether provides beforehand cushioning by incorporating stretch capability into the connection system. When a fall or loss of balance occurs, the elastic nature of the tether absorbs the impact force through deformation, cushioning the user against injury that would occur with a rigid tether.
Solution Approach 2:
The tether's elastic parameter allows it to change its physical state under different load conditions. During normal use, it maintains tension control; during falls, it deform elastically to reduce harmful forces, thus resolving the contradiction between control and injury prevention.
3Reliability
If the tether is always taut to prevent walker movement, then safety is improved, but it restricts natural walking motion and causes discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The tether system transitions from a static, always-taut state to a dynamic state where the elastic element continuously adjusts its tension based on movement. This dynamic behavior allows the tether to be loose during natural walking for comfort, then become taut when safety becomes an issue, resolving the contradiction between safety and natural motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic tether's physical parameters (tension, length) change dynamically in response to user movement. During normal walking, the tether remains within its elastic range allowing free motion; when excessive distance is detected, the elastic tension increases to provide safety control, thus resolving the contradiction.
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 system effectively prevents the wheeled walker from moving beyond a safe distance during Freezing of Gait episodes, reducing the risk of falls and providing stability and control for users with Parkinson's disease, enhancing mobility assistance and safety.
Implementation Method 1
Each tether includes an elastic portion between the frame and the second component which provides a proportional tension as distance beyond a slack distance of the elastic portion increases
Data Source
AI summary
Wheeled walker with an integrated safety system includes a frame, wheels on the frame to enable the frame to be manually moved along a surface, and a belt/tether apparatus including a belt adapted to be attached to a person using the walker and at least one tether connected at a first end region to the frame and at a second end region to the belt. The tether may include an elastic portion that provides a proportional tension as distance beyond a slack distance of the elastic portion increases. This limits separation of the walker from the person attached to the belt.