Textile Muscle Stimulation Suit with Integrated Knitted Electrodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electromyostimulation devices are complex, user-unfriendly, and require external assistance for home use, often causing discomfort and limited flexibility due to cumbersome wiring and electrode placement issues.
Innovation Solution
A textile-based suit with integrated flat-knitted, electrically conductive electrodes and lines that adapt to the body's contours, providing a secure and comfortable connection without the need for additional gels or complex cabling, allowing for flexible and independent operation via a wireless communication unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional electrodes are attached to the body using insulating support with chest straps and waist straps, then complete muscle groups can be stimulated, but the application becomes complicated and requires great care for precise positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple electrodes and their positioning structures into a single integrated suit garment. The electrodes are seamlessly incorporated into the fabric at predetermined anatomical locations, eliminating the need for separate electrode attachments and complex positioning procedures. This merging of electrodes with the wearable suit resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable electrode placement while dramatically simplifying application.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrodes are pre-positioned at correct anatomical locations during suit manufacturing rather than requiring positioning during application. The suit is designed with electrodes already placed at optimal locations for stimulating specific muscle groups, so the user simply wears the suit without needing to perform complex electrode placement procedures.
2Reliability
If multiple electrodes are connected with extensive cabling, then complete muscle groups can be stimulated, but the cabling restricts movement and is uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrical connection system with the textile fabric itself. Conductive threads are woven into the suit material to create flexible electrical pathways that move with the body. This eliminates rigid cabling while maintaining stable electrical connections between electrodes and the stimulation device, resolving the contradiction between connection reliability and user mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses flexible conductive textile pathways instead of rigid cables. The conductive threads are integrated into the flexible fabric, allowing the electrical connections to bend and stretch with body movements without restricting range of motion or compromising connection stability.
3Manufacturing precision
If plastic adhesive electrodes are used for medical applications, then precise localization is achieved, but they become uncomfortable when in contact with skin
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the electrode material homogeneous with the surrounding fabric in terms of texture, flexibility, and comfort. The electrodes are constructed from the same or similar textile materials as the rest of the suit, eliminating the discomfort associated with rigid plastic adhesive electrodes while maintaining precise localization through the integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite textile materials that combine the localization precision of structured electrodes with the comfort of soft fabric. The electrodes are made from conductive threads woven into breathable, flexible textile that conforms to skin, creating a composite material that achieves both precise positioning and comfort.
4Device complexity
If circular or approximately circular electrodes are placed directly on skin, then simple structure is achieved, but precise instructions from trainer or therapist are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates preliminary action by pre-positioning electrodes at correct anatomical locations during suit manufacturing. The suit includes visual markers, raised textures, or thermal indicators that guide users to place electrodes correctly without needing instructions from trainers or therapists, thus maintaining simple electrode structure while enabling independent use.
Solution Approach 2:
The suit is designed to be self-positioning and self-explanatory through integrated guidance features. Users can independently apply the electrodes correctly without external assistance, as the suit itself provides the necessary guidance through its design elements such as anatomical landmarks, color coding, or tactile cues.
5Reliability
If gel coating is applied to electrodes to improve conductivity, then electrical contact is enhanced, but durability decreases and cleaning is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the heterogeneous gel coating by making the electrode surface homogeneous with the surrounding fabric. The conductive textile material itself provides sufficient electrical contact without requiring additional gel layers, thereby eliminating the durability and cleaning issues associated with gel coatings while maintaining reliable electrical contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses durable, washable textile electrodes that can be cleaned and reused indefinitely, replacing the short-lived gel coatings that require frequent replacement. The textile material is designed to withstand repeated washing and stretching while maintaining its conductive properties.
6Shape
If flat knitted fabric with intarsia is used for the suit, then three-dimensional adaptation to body contours is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses modern flat knitting technology with computer-controlled stitch selection and intarsia techniques to create three-dimensional body-contouring shapes. By changing the knitting parameters and using automated machinery, the complex shaping required for optimal body fit is achieved without proportionally increasing manufacturing difficulty, as the knitting process itself is designed to handle such complexity efficiently.
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
Enables safe, comfortable, and effective muscular stimulation of torso and leg muscles with improved user experience, reducing the need for external assistance and enhancing the acceptance of electromyostimulation for home use.
Implementation Method 1
The contact electrode is designed as an at least one-layer flat knitted fabric designed as an inlay, at least partially made of electrically conductive thread
Implementation Method 2
The textile fabric is designed as a flat knitted fabric, particularly preferably as a single-surface flat knitted fabric without seams and without the need to sew parts together
Data Source
AI summary
A device for muscle stimulation of the trunk and/or leg musculature by electromyostimulation, comprising a one-part or multi-part suit (2), which is made of an elastic textile fabric and which has an integrated textile-based contact electrode (6, 26) and a textile-based electrical line (7) and bears on a body, wherein the textile fabric is formed as a flat knit (5) in which the textile-based electrical line (7) is formed in a knitted tunnel tube (8), wherein the contact electrode (6, 26) can be electrically connected by means of the line (7), and this contact electrode (6, 26) is designed as a flat knit of conductive thread, which flat knit is designed as intarsia (3) and, on the side facing the body, has an elastic and electrically conductive implantation (4).