Exercise Stimulus Device Synchronizing Audio and Olfactory Cues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sports training devices, such as exercise bikes and treadmills, fail to effectively interact with users, leading to user fatigue and difficulty in adjusting to sudden changes in speed and heart rate.
Innovation Solution
A device that integrates with exercise machines to emit stimuli like music, light, and fragrances, using wireless connection means like ANT+ or Bluetooth, to adjust intensity of stimuli based on user's psychophysical parameters, such as heart rate, to synchronize physical activity with musical beat, lighting, and olfactory cues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the device provides directional instructions for speed and frequency changes, then the user can follow training directions, but the user experiences fatigue and difficulty due to sudden changes in speed and heart rate
Solution Approach 1:
The device emits acoustic, optical, and olfactory stimuli in advance of actual speed changes to prepare the user's psychophysical state. The control unit releases fragrances and adjusts music intensity before the treadmill or bike changes speed, allowing the user to mentally and physically adapt to upcoming intensity changes, thereby reducing fatigue and making the training experience more comfortable while maintaining effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The device continuously monitors user heart rate and psychophysical parameters through sensors, and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the intensity and type of stimuli emitted. When the user's heart rate indicates stress or fatigue, the system modifies the training program and adjusts stimuli intensity accordingly, creating a closed-loop system that maintains training effectiveness while adapting to user comfort levels in real-time.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the device uses multiple types of stimuli (acoustic, optical, olfactory), then the user interaction is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit serves multiple functions by managing the exercise machine's operational parameters (speed, resistance) while simultaneously controlling the intensity and type of acoustic, optical, and olfactory stimuli. This multi-functional approach consolidates control logic into a single unit, reducing overall system complexity despite the diverse array of stimuli components, as the control unit acts as a universal interface coordinating all user interaction elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines acoustic speakers, optical displays, and olfactory fragrance diffusers into an integrated stimulus delivery system controlled by a single control unit. By merging these different stimulus modalities under one control architecture and coordinating them to work synergistically during exercise sessions, the system enhances user interaction quality while avoiding the complexity of completely separate control systems for each stimulus type.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A device for practising sport activities (1) associable to an exercise machine (20) is provided, the device for practising sporting activities (1) comprising: a plurality of diffusers designed to emit stimuli and including at least one speaker (2) suitable to emit music or the like, control means (4) of the device for practising sports activities (1), including a programme of the activities to be performed and the relative intensity of said activities, wherein the control means (4) are suitable to adjust the stimuli propagated by said diffusers according to the activities to be performed and the relative intensity.