Exercise Machine Multiple Contact Surfaces Ergonomic Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Pilates machines lack ergonomic handle design, causing foot pain and instability due to small crossbar surface area, fixed height, and inability to support varied exerciser sizes, leading to reduced exercise effectiveness and potential injury.
Innovation Solution
An exercise machine with multiple contact surfaces, including vertically positioned platforms that provide comfortable gripping and support for hands, arms, and feet, accommodating different sizes and exercise positions, and constructed from conformable materials for distributed force cushioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a narrow crossbar is used as a handle, then the structure is simple and compact, but the surface area is too small causing foot pain and instability
Solution Approach 1:
The handle structure is segmented into multiple components: a main crossbar and multiple secondary contact surfaces (platforms) positioned at different heights and locations. This segmentation allows each component to serve a specific function while collectively providing ample total surface area for comfortable exercise without requiring a single oversized structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extends the handle structure into the vertical dimension by positioning contact surfaces at multiple heights above the carriage plane. This dimensional expansion provides additional surface area without increasing the horizontal footprint, allowing exercisers to find comfortable contact points at various heights while maintaining a compact overall structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the crossbar is positioned at a fixed height, then the structure is simple, but it fails to accommodate exercisers of different heights
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple contact surfaces are pre-positioned at various heights and locations before the exerciser begins their routine. This preliminary arrangement allows users of different heights and body types to immediately find suitable contact points without requiring adjustments or repositioning during exercise, accommodating diversity while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle system serves multiple functions through its various contact surfaces: some surfaces are optimized for hand gripping, others for foot placement, and some for arm support. This multi-functionality allows a single fixed structure to accommodate diverse exerciser needs and body types without requiring complex adjustable mechanisms.
3Strength
If the crossbar is used for push and pull exercises, then it provides resistance training, but it cannot support the exerciser's body weight
Solution Approach 1:
Different contact surfaces are designed with locally optimized properties: some surfaces have larger area and softer materials for weight-bearing support, while others maintain smaller dimensions for resistance training exercises. This local differentiation allows the same handle structure to provide both weight support and resistance training functionality without compromising either purpose.
Data Source
AI summary
An exercise machine with multiple contact surfaces for providing secondary exercise support platforms positioned at various planes relative to the horizontal plane of the primary exercising platforms, the secondary platforms further serving as handles used during the performance of exercises. The exercise machine with multiple contact surfaces generally includes a frame, a carriage movably attached to the rail, and a first support structure and a second support structure attached to the frame near the first end. The support structures each include one or more platforms having an upper surface that is positioned above the base plane of the carriage.