Mobility enhancement device for attachment to foot or footwear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with impaired lower limbs face reduced mobility and pose challenges for caregivers during transfers due to inability to lift legs, with existing solutions like moleskin bandages being ineffective and leaving residues, and existing mobility aids not facilitating independent movement or stable transfers.
Innovation Solution
A mobility enhancement device featuring a flexible strap with a smooth slide member secured to the outer face, allowing the foot to glide on the floor, secured with fasteners to the foot or footwear, enabling sliding without lifting, and designed for use on smooth or carpeted surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If moleskin bandages are applied to shoe tips to allow feet to glide, then ease of movement is improved, but the bandages wear down quickly and leave sticky residue on the shoe
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a disposable adhesive sheet with a smooth slide surface that is applied to the shoe tip. This single-use component provides the gliding function temporarily and is then discarded, avoiding the wear and residue problems of reusable moleskin bandages while maintaining ease of movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The smooth slide surface acts as an intermediary between the foot/shoe and the floor surface. This intermediate layer provides the gliding function without requiring the shoe material itself to be modified, and can be easily applied and removed without leaving residue on the shoe.
2Extent of automation
If a mobility assisting system with poles and pivot disc is used for transfer, then independence is improved, but it does not allow caregivers to place foot between patient's feet for proper body mechanics
Solution Approach 1:
The mobility device is designed to be universally applicable to different transfer scenarios. The adhesive sheet can be used by the patient independently for self-transfer, or it can be used in conjunction with caregiver assistance where the caregiver can place their foot between the patient's feet, accommodating both independent and assisted use cases.
Solution Approach 2:
The device allows for dynamic adjustment of the transfer process. The smooth slide surface enables the patient to initiate movement independently when capable, while also allowing caregivers to intervene and provide additional support or control the movement pace when needed, adapting to the patient's varying capabilities.
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
Enhances mobility for individuals with impaired lower limbs by allowing gliding without muscle effort, facilitating safe transfers and reducing caregiver injury risks, with longer wear and residue-free use compared to moleskin bandages.
Implementation Method 1
a smooth slide member secured to the outer face of the strap, the slide member having a smooth flat or convex, rounded outer slide surface designed for gliding or sliding engagement with a floor surface
Data Source
AI summary
A mobility enhancement device has an elongate strap of flexible material and a slide member having an inner face secured to a first surface of the strap and an outer smooth surface configured for sliding engagement with a floor surface. The strap is secured in a loop about a user's foot or footwear with releasable fastener devices associated with opposite end portions of the strap secured together and the slide member positioned to face downward from a ventral region of the sole of the foot or footwear so that the outer smooth surface is positioned for sliding engagement with a floor surface during ambulation or transfer.