Exercise Suit With Integrated Soft Weights for Full-Body Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wearable weights for exercise are bulky, inflexible, and can cause damage due to inadvertent contact with external objects, limiting their use in everyday activities and full-body workouts.
Innovation Solution
An exercise suit with integrated, strategically placed soft weights made from lightweight elastomeric materials that conform to the body's shape and movement, along with an optional fitness monitor for heart rate monitoring, allowing for a full-body workout without affecting daily tasks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If traditional wearable weights are used, then exercise intensity can be increased, but the weights are bulky and inflexible which limits movement and ability to perform other tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by using flexible fabric weights that are integrated into the exercise garment. These weights are made from soft, pliable materials that can bend and move with the user's body, unlike traditional rigid weights. The weights are distributed throughout the garment fabric, allowing them to flex and conform to body movements while maintaining their weight function, thus resolving the contradiction between providing exercise resistance and allowing free movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the weight function with the exercise garment itself by integrating weights directly into the fabric. Instead of separate bulky weight devices that must be strapped onto the body, the weights are combined with the garment structure, distributing mass throughout the fabric. This integration eliminates the need for additional bulky equipment while maintaining exercise intensity, and allows the user to perform daily tasks without the restriction of separate weight devices.
2Force
If rigid weights are used in whole-body suits, then weight resistance is provided, but the weights do not flex with user movements and can cause damage to external objects through inadvertent contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by replacing rigid weight components with flexible fabric-based weights. The soft material construction allows the weights to deform and absorb impact forces rather than transferring them to external objects. When the user moves or accidentally contacts objects, the flexible fabric weights conform to the movement and do not cause damage, while still providing the necessary gravitational resistance for exercise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the weight material from rigid to flexible. By altering the material property from hard to soft, the weights maintain their mass and gravitational force for exercise resistance, but gain the ability to deform and adapt to movement. This parameter change resolves the contradiction between providing force resistance and preventing harmful contact with external objects.
3Force
If bulky weight devices are strapped onto arms and legs, then weight training is enabled, but the user's ability to perform other tasks is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the weight training function with everyday wear by integrating weights into a regular exercise garment. The weights are distributed throughout the fabric in a way that provides resistance during exercise movements but does not interfere with daily activities. The garment can be worn during both exercise and normal tasks, eliminating the need to remove bulky weight devices and allowing seamless transition between different activities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the exercise garment universal by designing it to serve multiple functions. The garment provides weight resistance for exercise training while simultaneously functioning as normal clothing that allows the user to perform various tasks. The flexible fabric weights enable the garment to adapt to different activities, from structured exercise routines to everyday movements, without compromising either function.
Data Source
AI summary
An exercise suit with integrated weights includes a shirt portion and a pants portion that are constructed from a lightweight elastomeric material. A plurality of soft weights are disposed along the shirt and pants portions at locations adjacent to the major muscle groups of the suit wearer. Each of the weights can be permanently secured along the inside facing surface of the shirt and pants, and conform to the shape and movement of the suit wearer. The suit also includes a fitness monitor having a heartbeat sensor, timer and display.