Support system for visually impaired children
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Solution Overview
Problem
Providing effective hand-under-hand therapy to visually and hearing-impaired children who are physically incapable of sitting up or maintaining a straight back is challenging, as it requires the child to be securely positioned to develop their sense of touch without relying on visual or auditory cues.
Innovation Solution
A support system comprising a harness with a securing portion for the child and a stabilizing portion for the caregiver, featuring adjustable closures and attachment members, allowing the child to be securely positioned in front of the caregiver for guided exercises, enabling early and effective sensory development through hand-under-hand therapy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a child is physically incapable of sitting up or maintaining a straight back, then the child cannot perform therapy exercises independently, but providing manual support to the child's back and hands is time-consuming and physically demanding for the caregiver
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a harness system as an intermediary device between the caregiver and child. The harness includes a stabilizing portion that attaches to the caregiver's clothing and a securing portion that fastens to the child's torso, creating a mechanical link that transfers and distributes support forces. This intermediary mechanism eliminates the need for continuous manual back support while maintaining proper positioning during therapy exercises.
Solution Approach 2:
The harness is divided into distinct functional segments: a stabilizing portion for the caregiver, a securing portion for the child, and connection elements linking them. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently - the stabilizing portion distributes caregiver load, the securing portion positions the child, and the connections transmit necessary support forces - thereby improving overall therapy delivery efficiency while reducing caregiver effort.
2Reliability
If the child is securely positioned for hand-under-hand therapy, then sensory development is enhanced, but the harness must accommodate different child sizes and abilities
Solution Approach 1:
The harness incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms including adjustable strap lengths, movable buckles, and flexible connection points. These features enable the harness to adapt to different child sizes, weights, and developmental stages while maintaining secure positioning. The adjustable nature allows the same harness design to serve multiple pediatric patients with varying physical characteristics, ensuring reliable positioning without compromising adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The harness design integrates multiple functions into a single device: positioning support, security fastening, caregiver connection, and adaptability adjustment. This universal design allows the harness to accommodate various child sizes and therapy requirements while maintaining stable positioning, eliminating the need for multiple specialized devices and ensuring reliable performance across different use cases.
Data Source
AI summary
A support system for providing hand-under-hand therapy to a visually-impaired and/or a hearing-impaired child includes a securing portion and a stabilizing portion of a harness. The securing portion has a closure and an anchor. The stabilizing portion has a closure and an attachment member. The attachment member of the stabilizing portion of the harness attaches to the anchor of the securing portion of the harness.