Foldable Exercise Board for Stable Bed-Based Rehabilitation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with limited mobility or recovering from injury face challenges in exercising safely and effectively on unstable surfaces, such as beds or sofas, due to the lack of accessible exercise equipment.
Innovation Solution
A foldable exercise board with a rigid support component and cushioned surface, designed for horizontal use, which can be unfolded for exercise and folded for storage, featuring hinges and optional interior reinforcing structures, allowing for secure positioning and muscle isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If exercise equipment is placed on unstable surfaces like beds or sofas, then accessibility for individuals with limited mobility is improved, but exercise stability and safety deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The exercise board is divided into multiple rigid segments connected by hinges, allowing the board to be folded into a compact form for storage on unstable surfaces while maintaining structural rigidity when deployed for exercise. This segmentation enables the board to transition between a stable exercise platform and a portable storage configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid exercise board acts as an intermediary platform between the unstable surface (bed or sofa) and the user's body. By placing the board on the unstable surface and exercising on top of it, the board provides a stable base that isolates the user from the instability of the underlying surface.
2Reliability
If a rigid support structure is used for exercise stability, then exercise safety is improved, but portability and ease of storage deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The exercise board incorporates hinges that allow the rigid segments to transition between fixed positions (providing stability during exercise) and movable positions (enabling folding for portability). This dynamic capability allows the same structure to serve both stability and portability requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The foldable design allows the exercise board to be collapsed into a compact nested configuration for storage and transport, while maintaining its full extended rigid structure when deployed for exercise. The segments nest within each other when folded, reducing the overall footprint.
3Reliability
If the exercise board is designed to be fully rigid for stability, then exercise support is improved, but adaptability to different surfaces and storage configurations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the board into hinged segments, the design achieves both rigidity (when segments are locked in place during exercise) and adaptability (when segments can be folded for storage or adjusted for different surface configurations).
Solution Approach 2:
The exercise board is designed to function on multiple types of surfaces (beds, sofas, floors) and in multiple configurations (fully extended, partially folded, fully folded), making it universally adaptable while maintaining exercise support capability when deployed.
Data Source
AI summary
An exercise board is disclosed comprising a foldable rigid support component of sufficient length to support a user lying horizontally, the rigid support component comprising at least a first segment and a second segment with each segment comprising an upper side surface and a lower side surface, at least one hinge connecting the first segment and second segment of the rigid support component and a cushion mounted to the upper side surface of each segment of the rigid support component. Methods of using the board are also described.