Standing Mat with Terrain Features to Encourage Pose Changes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional anti-fatigue mats lack topographical features that could encourage users to change their standing poses, leading to fatigue and reduced health benefits during extended standing periods.

Innovation Solution

A non-planar mat surface with terrain features such as protrusions, rails, and ramps that mimic natural terrain variations, encouraging users to adopt various standing positions and movements without moving parts, facilitating blood flow and muscle strengthening.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a flat mat surface is used, then the mat structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the user cannot be encouraged to change standing poses, leading to fatigue

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser ability to change standing posesVSAvoidmat surface structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mat surface incorporates terrain features with different local properties (protrusions, recesses, rails, ramps) at specific locations to encourage users to adopt varied standing poses. Each local region provides different tactile and postural stimuli, prompting users to shift positions frequently without requiring the entire mat to be complex or movable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If the mat surface is made non-planar with terrain features, then user fatigue is reduced by encouraging pose changes, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefatigue prevention effectivenessVSAvoidmat production process

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The mat incorporates curved and rounded terrain features such as protrusions, recesses, and ramps instead of sharp geometric forms. These curved surfaces are more comfortable for user contact and can be manufactured using standard molding techniques, reducing production complexity while maintaining the fatigue-prevention functionality of encouraging pose changes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Productivity

If terrain features are added to the mat surface, then blood flow and muscle strengthening are improved, but the mat design becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser health benefit during standingVSAvoidmat surface design

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mat surface is divided into multiple distinct terrain features (protrusions, recesses, lateral rails, anterior rail, posterior ramp) that can be independently designed and manufactured. This segmentation allows each feature to serve a specific health function (e.g., arch support, balance challenge, toe engagement) while simplifying the overall manufacturing process through modular construction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS11957257B2Mat for standing with raised features

Publication Date: 2024.04.16 ERGODRIVEN

AI summary

A mat includes a mat body defining an upper surface dimensioned for a user to stand on the upper surface. The upper surface is non-planar and includes at least one terrain feature defining the non-planarity. The terrain feature has a size that is on the order of magnitude of the size of the user's foot. Presenting this surface to the user may help remind him or her to move his or her feet to thereby adopt multiple poses, thereby preventing the user from maintaining any single pose for a fatigue-inducing duration.