Modular Lab Stand with Adjustable Height Rods for Ergonomic Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laboratory stands are inflexible and pose safety hazards, particularly for users of varying heights, as they require stretching or leaning into fume hoods, leading to potential injuries and unstable equipment setups due to mismatched hot plates and lab jacks.
Innovation Solution
A modular stand apparatus with vertically translating plates and adjustable rods allows users of any height to safely assemble laboratory equipment, eliminating the need for users to stretch or lean into fume hoods and providing a stable base for equipment through modular placement of extraneous elements like jacks and scales.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional fixed stands with monkey bars are used, then equipment can be held at a fixed height, but users of short stature cannot reach the monkey bars easily and must stretch or lean inside the fume hood
Solution Approach 1:
The stand apparatus employs a dynamically adjustable height mechanism where the horizontal rod can be positioned at multiple height levels along the vertical rod. This allows the monkey bars to be raised or lowered to accommodate users of different statures, eliminating the need for stretching or leaning into the fume hood while maintaining proper ergonomics and safety posture.
Solution Approach 2:
The stand is divided into segmented components including a vertical rod with multiple positioning levels, a horizontal rod that can be detached and repositioned, and a base platform. This segmentation enables flexible reconfiguration of the monkey bar height to suit different users, transforming a fixed structure into an adaptable system.
2Device complexity
If hot plates are placed directly on small jack platforms, then the assembly can be compact, but the center of gravity shifts and the assembly becomes vulnerable to toppling
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a lateral support rod that extends perpendicular to the vertical rod, creating a three-dimensional stable base. This horizontal dimension provides a broader footprint for the hot plate placement, distributing the center of gravity more effectively and preventing toppling while maintaining compact vertical dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The stand apparatus incorporates a wide base platform and lateral support structure that preemptively compensates for the toppling risk. By designing a stable foundation before the hot plate is placed, the system prevents instability rather than correcting it, ensuring safe operation even with varying equipment configurations.
3Ease of operation
If multiple stands are provided for various individuals, then each user can have an optimized setup, but the cost and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stand apparatus is designed as a universal platform with adjustable height positions and configurable rod arrangements that can accommodate multiple users with different height requirements. A single stand can be reconfigured between users, eliminating the need for multiple dedicated stands while maintaining optimized ergonomics for each individual.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic adjustability of the horizontal rod position along the vertical rod enables the same stand to adapt to different user heights. Users can quickly reposition the monkey bars to their comfortable working level, allowing one stand to serve multiple users effectively without requiring individualized fixed-height stands.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular stand apparatus offers safe and effective setup of laboratory experiments. The apparatus allows a user to couple vertical rods to a first plate. A second plate, parallel to the first plate and vertically translating up and down the vertical rods, permits the user of any height to utilize the apparatus and the placement of an extraneous rigging such as jack, scale, etc. A plurality of horizontal rods including hypotenuse and adjacent rods detachably couples with the vertical rods and permits the placement of extraneous rigging. The horizontal rods replace monkey bars in conventional systems so that the user does not have to lean or stretch hands/arms inside a fume hood, thus eliminating potential unsafe operations and/or physical injuries. Due to the use of a larger and more stable surface of the second plate over the extraneous rigging, the apparatus eliminates possible toppling over and/or system collapsing.