Segmented Rigid-Arm Dressing Aid for Limited-Mobility Users
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dressing aids for users with limited mobility lack sufficient rigidity, making them difficult to use effectively for putting on pants and other clothing items.
Innovation Solution
A dressing aid comprising a main arm with bendable yet rigid proximal and distal arms, optionally made of gooseneck tubing or segmented ball and socket tubing, equipped with clips and hooks to assist in donning garments by providing support and securing them in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible band with clips is used as a dressing aid, then the device is easy to manipulate and conform to body shapes, but it lacks sufficient rigidity to provide effective support for users with limited mobility
Solution Approach 1:
The dressing aid is divided into multiple rigid segments (main arm, proximal arms, distal arms) connected at joints. Each segment maintains rigidity individually while the connections provide overall flexibility, allowing the device to conform to body shapes while providing structural support for users with limited mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The dressing aid incorporates movable joints between rigid segments, allowing the structure to dynamically adjust its configuration. This enables the device to transition between rigid support states and flexible conforming states, adapting to different body positions and garment types while maintaining sufficient rigidity for effective use.
2Reliability
If multiple arms with clips and hooks are added to provide support and securing functions, then the device effectiveness improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional elements (clips, hooks, arms) are merged into a single integrated dressing aid structure. The proximal and distal arms with their respective clips and hooks work together as a coordinated system, reducing the need for separate devices while providing comprehensive garment support and securing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The dressing aid is designed with multiple arms, clips, and hooks that can perform various functions depending on configuration. The same structure can be used to support different types of garments (pants, socks, shoes) and can be manipulated in different ways, making the complex device universally applicable to multiple dressing tasks.
Data Source
AI summary
A dressing aid may include a main arm having a proximal end and a distal end, at least one (preferably at least two) proximal arm extending from the main arm proximal end, the proximal arm(s) having a distal end attached to the main arm proximal end and a proximal end attached to a proximal clip, and at least one (preferably at least two) distal arm extending from the main arm distal end, the distal arm(s) having a proximal end attached to the main arm distal end and a distal end attached to a distal clip. The proximal and distal arms may further comprise a hook. The proximal, distal and main arms are preferably formed of a bendable but rigid tubular material.