Soft Physiotherapy Instrument with Carbon Nanotube Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional physiotherapy devices are typically made of hard materials with limited working areas, causing discomfort to users due to their rigidity and restricted application areas.
Innovation Solution
A soft physiotherapy instrument featuring a flexible sheet with carbon nanotube functional layers and a controller, allowing for adjustable area coverage and comfortable attachment to the skin, utilizing electrodes to deliver controlled currents for stimulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hard material physiotherapy devices are used, then structural strength is improved, but user comfort deteriorates due to rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible shells and thin films by using a soft sheet made of elastomer material as the main body of the physiotherapy device. This soft sheet can be bent and deformed to fit different body contours, providing user comfort while maintaining structural integrity through the elastomer properties. The device transitions from hard rigid structures to flexible soft structures that conform to body surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining elastomer base material with functional layers including conductive layers, heating elements, and sensing components. This creates a composite structure that integrates mechanical flexibility with electrical and thermal functions, achieving both comfort and therapeutic effectiveness in a single integrated device.
2Ease of manufacture
If hard material devices with fixed structure are used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but adaptability deteriorates due to small working area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by designing the soft sheet to be flexible and deformable rather than fixed in shape. The device can be bent, stretched, and molded to fit different body parts and treatment areas, transforming from a static fixed-structure device to a dynamic adaptable device that conforms to various anatomical surfaces and treatment requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universality by creating a soft sheet-based device that can be applied to multiple different body parts and treatment areas. The flexible design allows the same device structure to serve multiple therapeutic functions across different anatomical locations, enhancing versatility without complicating the basic manufacturing process.
3Ease of operation
If soft flexible materials are used, then user comfort is improved, but structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by using composite materials that combine soft elastomer base material with reinforcing functional layers. The composite structure maintains the flexibility and comfort of the soft material while incorporating conductive layers, heating elements, and sensing components that provide structural support and functional integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the physical and chemical properties of the elastomer material through formulation adjustments. By changing cross-linking density, filler content, and material composition, the device achieves optimal balance between softness for comfort and structural strength for integrity, tuning the material parameters to meet both requirements.
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
The soft physiotherapy instrument provides enhanced comfort and flexibility, allowing for customizable area treatment and wider application, with the carbon nanotube layers maintaining strength and integrity despite bending or cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of functional layers (104) sandwiched between the first flexible layer (102) and the second flexible layer (106), each of the plurality of functional layers (104) is a carbon nanotube layer
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of functional layers (104) are symmetrically distributed or regularly distributed, and a plurality of electrodes (108), each of the plurality of electrodes (108) is electrically connected with a single functional layer (104) or a pair of functional layers (104)
Data Source
AI summary
A soft physiotherapy instrument includes a flexible sheet and a controller. The flexible sheet includes a first flexible layer, a second flexible layer, a plurality of functional layers located between the first flexible layer and the second flexible layer, and a plurality of electrodes electrically connected with the plurality of functional layers. The functional layer includes a carbon nanotube layer including a plurality of carbon nanotubes uniformly distributed. The flexible sheet is electrically coupled with the controller via the plurality of electrodes. A method for using the soft physiotherapy instrument is further provided.