Wearable Assistance Sleeve Interface With Stretch-Limiting Stops
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Solution Overview
Problem
Exosuits face challenges in maintaining thermal and physical comfort due to heat retention and pressure points, which hinder user adoption and effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A wearable assistance device interface featuring a sleeve with elastic portions and stops to restrict stretch, along with adjustment and engagement features, ensuring proper fit and comfort while applying assistive forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the interface size is minimized to reduce heat retention surface area, then thermal comfort is improved, but the interface becomes too small to provide adequate structural strength and creates pressure points on the skin
Solution Approach 1:
The interface combines multiple materials with different properties: elastic portions for comfort and flexibility, inelastic portions for structural strength and force transmission, and padded materials for pressure distribution. This composite approach allows the interface to maintain adequate size for strength while managing heat retention through strategic material placement.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the interface have different material properties tailored to local requirements: elastic portions in areas needing flexibility, inelastic portions where structural strength is needed, and padded materials where pressure distribution is critical. This localized quality optimization resolves the contradiction between size reduction and strength maintenance.
2Temperature
If the interface is made thinner to improve thermal comfort, then heat retention is reduced, but the interface becomes too weak to transmit exosuit forces to the body
Solution Approach 1:
The interface uses a composite structure combining thin elastic portions for thermal comfort with strategically placed inelastic portions for force transmission. The inelastic portions act as force-carrying elements while the elastic portions maintain thin profiles to reduce heat retention, resolving the contradiction between thickness and force transmission capability.
3Ease of operation
If the elastic portion allows maximum stretch for comfort and range of motion, then physical comfort is improved, but the interface cannot maintain adequate tension to apply assistive forces
Solution Approach 1:
The interface is segmented into distinct elastic and inelastic portions. The elastic portions accommodate range of motion and comfort, while the inelastic portions maintain constant tension for force application. This segmentation allows each portion to optimize its function without compromising the other, resolving the contradiction between stretchability and force maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of elastic and inelastic materials in the same interface structure enables simultaneous achievement of range of motion (through elastic portions) and assistive force application (through inelastic portions that maintain tension regardless of stretch).
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 interface provides enhanced thermal and physical comfort, allowing for effective force application without snag risks or movement interference, improving user experience and device effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
the elastic portion is configured to stretch
Data Source
AI summary
An interface for a wearable assistance device that comprises a sleeve that comprises a main body configured to at least partly surround a user's body segment and is adjustable for comfort and fit. The interface has an elastic portion. A stop is positioned adjacent to the elastic portion such that the stop bridges the elastic portion. The stop is configured to restrict an amount of stretch that the elastic portion affords the sleeve beyond a set length. An engagement feature configured to connect the interface to a component of the wearable assistance device.