Lateral Finger Grippers with Movable Section
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aid devices for physically impaired individuals, such as those with arthritis or injuries, often position grippers on top of or inside the fingers, leading to discomfort and loss of tactile feedback, and require constant attachment and detachment, which is inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A device with at least two grippers that attach to fingers, allowing them to follow the natural movement to grab and release objects, featuring unidirectional locking when activated to ensure a firm grip without affecting finger strength, and a movable section that can be easily pushed aside when not in use, using joints or bendable sections for relative movement and built-in resilience for locking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If grippers are positioned on top of fingers to provide firm grip, then gripping strength is improved, but finger discomfort and loss of tactile feedback occur
Solution Approach 1:
The grippers are repositioned from a vertical arrangement (on top of fingers) to a lateral arrangement (at the sides of fingers). This dimensional change allows the gripping force to be applied horizontally between the grippers and object, rather than vertically compressing the fingers, thereby maintaining grip strength while eliminating finger discomfort and preserving tactile feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The grippers act as intermediaries that transfer the gripping force from the user's fingers to the object. By positioning the grippers at the sides of the fingers, the force transmission path is modified to bypass direct compression of the fingers, allowing the user to maintain tactile contact with the object while still achieving firm grip through the intermediary gripper structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If grippers are positioned inside the hand to avoid finger compression, then finger comfort is improved, but tactile feedback is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The grippers are positioned laterally at the sides of the fingers rather than deep inside the hand. This lateral positioning maintains the user's tactile contact with the object surface while still providing the necessary gripping force, thereby preserving tactile feedback without causing finger compression.
3Ease of operation
If aid tool remains constantly attached to hand for easy access, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity and interference with hand movement occur
Solution Approach 1:
The aid tool incorporates a movable section that can dynamically adjust its position. The section can be pushed aside when not in use, allowing the hand to move freely without constant interference. When needed, the section can be returned to its operational position, providing easy access while maintaining simplicity through dynamic repositioning rather than complex attachment mechanisms.
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
Enables users to maintain a firm grip on objects with reduced strength while minimizing discomfort and allowing easy detachment and reattachment, ensuring the grippers do not interfere with finger movement or sensation, and automatically adjusting to user needs.
Implementation Method 1
the movable section locks in the pushed aside position through build in resilience in the joints or bendable section
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
This invention relates to aid devices for assisting people inhibited in their movement of especially the hands and / or wrists, such as people who are physically impaired due to arthritis, injury, or other physiological problems giving reduced strength. This is solved by introducing an aid tool comprising at least two grippers and means to attach each gripper to a finger of a person, where the grippers are adapted to follow the individual finger in a movement in the direction of closing and loosen of a grip, and where an activation of the aid tool includes locking the grippers unidirectionally in the present position. The invention further introduces mounting means for attaching the aid tool to a body part, and where the mounting means comprises coupling means for detaching and attaching this and other tools according to the need.