Gait Trainer Attachment for Amputee Rehabilitation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients with compromised limbs, such as amputees or those with paralysis, face limited mobility and rehabilitation options due to cumbersome and expensive conventional gait training devices that are not suitable for use outside physical therapy sessions or for endurance training, leading to muscle atrophy and accelerated disease progression.
Innovation Solution
A portable and adjustable gait trainer attachment that connects to common exercise equipment, featuring a leg brace and swing arm system to guide the compromised limb through a biomechanically proper walking motion, allowing weight-bearing and muscle activation, and can be used in various settings including homes and gyms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional gait training devices are used, then proper gait motion guidance is achieved, but the devices become cumbersome and prohibitively expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The conventional gait training device is divided into two independent components: a portable attachment device that can be transported home, and a treadmill integration system. This segmentation allows the core gait guidance functionality to be separated from the bulky infrastructure, making the system portable while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary attachment mechanism that connects the portable gait trainer to the treadmill. This intermediary component serves as a bridge, allowing the portable device to interface with the treadmill's moving surface without requiring the entire treadmill system to be portable, thus resolving the contradiction between portability and functional reliability.
2Reliability
If conventional gait training devices are used, then gait guidance is provided, but the devices are incompatible with common exercise equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The portable attachment device is designed with universal compatibility features that allow it to interface with multiple types of exercise equipment, including but not limited to treadmills. The attachment mechanism incorporates standardized connection points and adjustable components that can adapt to different equipment configurations, enabling one device to serve multiple functions across various exercise platforms.
3Ease of operation
If patients use wheelchairs during recovery, then mobility is maintained, but muscle atrophy and disease acceleration occur
Solution Approach 1:
The portable gait training attachment enables patients to perform self-directed rehabilitation exercises at home without requiring constant professional supervision or institutional settings. The device provides automated gait guidance and support, allowing patients to actively engage in weight-bearing exercises that stimulate muscle maintenance and prevent atrophy, thereby converting passive wheelchair mobility into active rehabilitative movement.
4Reliability
If inpatient rehabilitation is provided, then initial recovery support is given, but rapid decline occurs after discharge due to lack of assistive technology
Solution Approach 1:
The portable attachment device is designed to be deployed immediately upon patient discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, bridging the gap between institutional care and home recovery. The device comes pre-configured with personalized gait parameters and guidance settings established during inpatient therapy, allowing patients to continue their rehabilitation progress at home without interruption, thereby preventing the rapid decline that typically occurs during the transition period.
Data Source
AI summary
A gait trainer attachment adapted for use with exercise equipment and a method for using the gait trainer attachment. Embodiments of the gait trainer attachment include a frame, a leg brace, and a compromised limb gait system. The compromised limb gait system attaches the leg brace to the frame and is configured to guide a limb of a user through a simulated gait motion. In aspects, the gait trainer attachment gives an amputee user the ability to use ordinary exercise equipment for rehabilitation and endurance training by providing a leg brace for the compromised limb, a frame designed to attach to exercise equipment, and a connection between the leg brace and frame that guides the compromised limb, thus allowing the user to maintain a biomechanically proper walking motion while exercising.