Mobility Assistance Device Forearm Weight Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional mobility assistance devices like crutches place excessive weight on users' wrists and hands, leading to pain, injury, and difficulty for individuals with pre-existing conditions or reduced grip strength, as they require continuous pressure and gripping of a handle.
Innovation Solution
A mobility assistance device with an adjustable elongate post and forearm support that distributes weight along the user's arm, eliminating the need for gripping a handle by using a horizontal forearm support and adjustable upper arm support, allowing weight distribution along the arm and reducing pressure on wrists and hands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If traditional crutches are used to support user weight, then weight transfer from legs to upper body is achieved, but excessive pressure is placed on wrists and hands causing pain and injury
Solution Approach 1:
The crutch support system is segmented into multiple contact points along the arm: upper arm support, forearm support, and hand grip. This distributes the weight-bearing function across different segments of the arm rather than concentrating it at the wrist and hand, thereby reducing localized pressure while maintaining overall weight support capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extends the support contact from the traditional two-dimensional hand-grip interface to a three-dimensional distribution along the entire arm length. By adding upper arm and forearm support surfaces, the weight distribution transitions from a point contact to a linear distribution along the arm's longitudinal axis, reducing pressure intensity at any single location
2Force
If crutches require handle gripping for support, then weight bearing is achieved, but users with reduced grip strength cannot effectively use the device
Solution Approach 1:
The gripping function is segmented and redistributed: the upper arm support and forearm support provide passive weight-bearing surfaces that do not require active gripping, while the hand grip becomes optional rather than essential. This allows users with reduced grip strength to bear weight through the larger contact areas of the upper and forearm supports
Solution Approach 2:
The essential gripping function is extracted from the hand handle and relocated to the upper arm and forearm support surfaces. These larger surfaces provide sufficient friction and contact area to support body weight without requiring the user to actively grip, thereby removing the grip strength requirement while maintaining weight-bearing capability
3Stability of the object's composition
If forearm cuffs and supports are added to previous crutch iterations, then stability is increased, but the device still requires handle gripping and weight support on wrists and hands
Solution Approach 1:
The support contact is segmented into three distinct zones: upper arm support, forearm support, and hand grip. This segmentation allows each zone to contribute to stability through its unique contact characteristics, while the distribution of weight across all three zones prevents excessive pressure on the wrist and hand regions
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the functions of traditional forearm cuffs with upper arm support elements into a unified multi-point contact system. By combining these support elements into a single integrated device that engages multiple arm regions simultaneously, it achieves enhanced stability while distributing weight to eliminate localized pressure points
Data Source
AI summary
A mobility assistance device is provided. The device has an elongate post having an upper end and a lower end with the lower end adapted for contact with the ground and the upper end being secured to a forearm support. The forearm support is generally horizontal and is comprised of a platform and a cuff, wherein the platform and the cuff are engagable with a user's forearm, with the cuff being linearly disposed about a longitudinal axis of the platform to hold the user's forearm so that the arm remains in contact with the platform. An upper arm support extends upwardly from the upper end of the vertical elongate post to engage the upper arm of the user.