Gyroscope Wrist Mount for Multi-Dimensional Tremor Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tremor stabilization devices, such as those using gyroscopes, either fail to effectively stabilize multi-dimensional involuntary movements or severely restrict limb mobility, exacerbating the patient's condition rather than alleviating it.
Innovation Solution
A gyroscope device mounted within a housing that can precess, attached to a body area via a substantially inelastic attachment assembly comprising a stiff first plate and optionally a second plate, with a demountable cuff and adjustable straps, ensuring the gyroscope axis remains normal to the body surface during activity, allowing full mobility and effective tremor stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid splint is used to bind the user's lower arm, wrist and hand to transfer involuntary movements, then tremor stabilization is achieved, but limb mobility is severely restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the stabilization function from the mobility function. The gyroscope stabilizes tremors locally at the wrist/hand area, while the attachment assembly is designed to minimize restriction of elbow and shoulder movements. This allows tremor stabilization without complete immobilization of the entire limb.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilization effect is localized to the wrist and hand areas where tremors occur, rather than immobilizing the entire arm. The attachment assembly is configured to secure the device at the wrist while leaving the elbow and shoulder joints free to move normally, providing localized tremor control without global mobility restriction.
2Reliability
If a gyroscope device is mounted to stabilize tremors, then involuntary movements are counteracted, but the device mass may outweigh stabilizing effects if improperly positioned
Solution Approach 1:
The device is positioned in advance at the optimal location on the wrist or hand where it can most effectively counteract tremor movements. The attachment assembly is designed to secure the device in this predetermined optimal position, ensuring that the gyroscope's stabilizing effect is maximized before tremor occurs, rather than requiring adjustment during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The device allows adjustment of the gyroscope position along the length of the attachment assembly to optimize the stabilizing effect for different patients and tremor profiles. By changing the positional parameter of the gyroscope mounting, the device can be tuned to achieve effective tremor counteraction with minimal device mass impact.
3Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable straps are used to secure the device, then attachment flexibility is improved, but attachment reliability may be compromised if the attachment is too elastic
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment assembly uses different material properties in different locations: elastic sections near the skin contact points for comfort and adaptation, and inelastic sections for the structural mounting elements that require precise positioning. This local differentiation of material properties allows both flexibility for user comfort and reliability for effective tremor stabilization.
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 solution provides reliable tremor stabilization without significantly impeding normal limb use, maintaining full freedom of movement and effectively counteracting tremors across multiple dimensions.
Implementation Method 1
a battery-driven gyroscope is held against the back face of the hand by a strap. A gyroscope seeks to maintain the orientation of its spinning axis and resists any action that seeks to cause a change in that orientation.
Implementation Method 2
the gyroscope acts against that movement, substantially cancelling out the tremor
Implementation Method 3
a gyroscopic device mounted within a housing in such a way that the gyroscope disc is able to precess with respect to the housing
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to apparatus for stabilisation of tremors, both physiological and pathological, of parts of the body, especially the hands. We describe an apparatus for reducing effects of tremors on an area of the human body, the apparatus comprising a gyroscope device and an attachment assembly for attachment of the gyroscope device to a location on the human body in the area, wherein the attachment assembly provides a substantially inelastic attachment to the location and comprises a gyroscope mount. The gyroscope mount comprises a substantially stiff first plate having a shape adapted to substantially correspond with a shape of the human body in the location. In preferred embodiments, the attachment assembly further comprises a second plate mountable to the body such that a clamping force is appliable between the first plate and the second plate.