Handheld Tool Motion Stabilization for Tremor Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for chronic neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's Disease and Essential Tremor, such as pharmacological treatments and deep brain stimulation, are ineffective and invasive, failing to adequately address unintentional muscle movements that interfere with daily activities.
Innovation Solution
A handheld tool equipped with a tremor tracking module, sensors, and an actuator that detects and compensates for unintentional muscle movements by generating equal and opposite motions to stabilize the tool in one degree of freedom, allowing users to perform tasks with reduced tremor impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pharmacological treatments or deep brain stimulation are used to treat unintentional muscle movements, then some stabilization effect may be achieved, but the treatments are invasive, dangerous, or ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces invasive medical treatments (pharmacological and surgical) with a mechanical stabilization system embedded in a handheld tool. Sensors detect tremor movements and actuators generate compensating mechanical forces to stabilize the tool, eliminating the need for drugs or brain surgery while providing reliable tremor management during daily activities
Solution Approach 2:
The handheld tool acts as an intermediary device between the user's tremorous hand and the task being performed. The tool's stabilization system mediates the tremor effects by detecting movements and applying counteracting forces, protecting the user from the harmful effects of tremors without requiring direct intervention in the body
2Stability of the object's composition
If existing tremor stabilization systems are implemented, then some motion compensation is achieved, but they do not effectively stabilize the tool during actual use
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors tool movement through sensors and uses this feedback to drive actuators that generate real-time compensating forces. This closed-loop control ensures the tool remains stable during actual use while maintaining ease of operation, as the stabilization occurs automatically without requiring user effort or awareness
Solution Approach 2:
The handheld tool stabilizes itself autonomously during use. The sensors detect the tool's own movements and the actuators automatically generate compensating forces without external intervention, allowing the tool to maintain stability while being operated naturally by the user during daily activities
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for tracking unintentional muscle movements of a user and stabilizing a handheld tool (100, 200) while it is being used by the user are described. The method may include detecting motion of a handle of the handheld tool (100, 200) manipulated by a user while the user is performing a task with a user-assistive device attached to an attachment arm (104, 204) of the handheld tool (100, 200). Furthermore, the method may include storing the detected motion in a memory of the handheld tool (100, 200) as motion data. The method may also include controlling, based on the motion data, a motion-generating mechanism of the handheld tool (100, 200) that moves the attachment arm (104, 204) relative to the handle in a single degree of freedom in a direction of the detected motion of the handle.