Transparent Thumb Brace with Segmented Holes for Habit Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thumb suctioning prevention braces are inconvenient as they restrict thumb movement, fail to provide the sensory experience of suctioning, and are not effective in correcting the habit of thumb suctioning in infants, leading to potential deformities and psychological issues.
Innovation Solution
A thumb suctioning prevention brace with a detachable part featuring specific designs on a transparent body, allowing the infant to recognize the discomfort of thumb suctioning and enabling easy thumb bending and object gripping, while maintaining a vacuum-like experience through strategically designed holes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the brace is made of soft material and fixed using a band, then the infant can wear the brace comfortably, but the thumb cannot be freely bent and the infant cannot grip objects
Solution Approach 1:
The brace is divided into a body portion and a separate band portion that can be detached. The body is segmented with multiple holes at different positions and orientations, allowing the thumb to bend freely while maintaining structural integrity for habit correction.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the brace have different properties: the body is made of transparent material with specific hole patterns for correction, while the band is separate and removable for flexibility. The holes are strategically positioned to allow bending at specific locations while preventing suctioning behavior.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If one side of the brace is open to allow air passage, then the infant can breathe, but the thumb is extracted and eventually suctioned
Solution Approach 1:
The brace features multiple holes at different positions (upper, middle, lower portions) with varying sizes and orientations. This local differentiation allows air to pass through for breathing while the strategic positioning prevents the thumb from being extracted and suctioned.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having a single large opening, the design uses multiple small holes distributed across different dimensions and positions on the brace body, transforming the air passage function from a single opening to a distributed pattern that achieves both breathing and prevention goals.
3Device complexity
If the brace is integrally configured with the band, then the structure is simple, but when the band is pulled the brace moves and when cut a new product must be purchased
Solution Approach 1:
The brace is divided into a body portion and a separate band portion that can be detached and reused. This segmentation allows the band to be adjusted or replaced independently without discarding the entire product, improving adjustability and reusability while maintaining structural simplicity.
4Reliability
If the brace restricts thumb movement to prevent suctioning, then the habit correction is effective, but the infant cannot grip objects
Solution Approach 1:
The holes are positioned and oriented to create zones of different restriction: areas that prevent thumb extraction and suctioning while allowing bending motion and gripping capability. The transparent material with strategic hole placement achieves selective control over thumb movements.
Data Source
AI summary
A thumb suctioning prevention brace according to the inventive concept includes a body surrounding opposite sides, a back portion, and a nail of a thumb and having an opening formed therein so that a bottom portion of the thumb is exposed, a band part coupled to a lower portion of the body and fixed to a wrist by connecting opposite ends thereof, and a detachable part provided inside an upper portion of the body, a specific design being displayed on an outer peripheral surface thereof, wherein the body is made of a transparent material, and the specific design is exposed instead of the nail. The effect of the inventive concept is to provide a thumb suctioning prevention brace capable of correcting a habit of suctioning a thumb by recognizing, through the specific design, the infant that a thumb suctioning behavior is uncomfortable.