Sidewalker Mobility Aid Collapsible Lateral Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

There is a need for mobility aids that provide greater stability than a cane but are less cumbersome and have less stigma than a traditional walker, which are often bulky and difficult to store or transport.

Innovation Solution

A sidewalker mobility aid with a handle assembly and collapsible lateral stability members that can be used with one hand, providing stability and resistance to lateral forces, and can be compactly collapsed for easy storage and transport, featuring a handle assembly with forward and rearward substantially vertical members and lateral stability members that can be rotated into the same plane as the handle for reduced bulk.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a traditional walker is used, then stability and balance are improved, but the device becomes bulky and cumbersome

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestability and balanceVSAvoiddevice bulk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The walker is divided into a handle assembly and separate lateral stability members that can be independently collapsed. The lateral stability members can be collapsed into the handle assembly, segmenting the collapse function from the main support structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The lateral stability members are designed to collapse into and nest within the handle assembly. When collapsed, the stability members are received into the handle assembly, creating a compact nested configuration that reduces overall device volume.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Reliability

If a traditional walker is used, then stability and balance are improved, but ease of storage and transport deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestability and balanceVSAvoidease of storage and transport

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The lateral stability members are designed with dynamic collapse capability, allowing them to transition between deployed and collapsed states. This dynamic feature enables the device to adapt between providing stability during use and becoming compact for storage and transport.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The lateral stability members collapse into the handle assembly, creating a compact nested configuration that is easy to store in small spaces and transport, directly improving ease of storage and transport while maintaining stability when deployed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Ease of operation

If a cane is used, then device portability is improved, but stability and balance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice portabilityVSAvoidstability and balance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The device segments the portability function (handle assembly) from the stability function (lateral stability members). The handle assembly provides portable handling similar to a cane, while the attached lateral stability members provide enhanced stability when deployed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The lateral stability members can be dynamically deployed to provide stability when needed and collapsed to maintain portability when not needed, allowing the device to adapt between providing stability and maintaining cane-like portability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Reliability

If lateral stability members are extended sideways, then stability and balance are improved, but device volume increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestability and balanceVSAvoiddevice volume

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The lateral stability members are designed with dynamic collapse capability, allowing them to transition between extended (providing stability) and collapsed (reducing volume) states. This dynamic feature resolves the contradiction between providing stability and maintaining compact volume.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

When the lateral stability members are not needed for stability, they collapse into the handle assembly, nesting within the existing structure. This nesting mechanism reduces the overall device volume while maintaining the capability to extend sideways when stability is required.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS9936777B1Sidewalker mobility aid

Publication Date: 2018.04.10 INNOVATIVE ASSISTIVE DEVICES LLC

AI summary

A sidewalker mobility aid for use in assisting an individual in walking. The device is configured to be used with one hand, on one side of the body of the user, rather than out in front, like a traditional walker. The sidewalker has features that place it between a cane and a walker, in terms of benefits provided. The device provides more lateral resistance (stability) than a typical cane, but less than a traditional walker, while having collapsible features that allow the device to take up less space than a traditional walker.