Wearable Exercise Device with Cable Actuation and Tension Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aging populations experience reduced muscular strength and joint problems, leading to inconvenience and pain, and existing assistive devices do not effectively address these issues by providing convenient exercise solutions.
Innovation Solution
A wearable device equipped with an actuator, sensor, processor, cable, and body coupling component that estimates hand or leg position, determines tension values based on a tension control model, and controls the actuator to apply resistance, thereby assisting users in maintaining proper exercise posture and enhancing strength training.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a wearable device applies resistance to assist exercise, then muscle strength training effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable device is divided into multiple independent modules: a control unit worn on the torso, sensor units attached to limbs, and actuator units positioned at strategic points. Each module performs a specific function (sensing, processing, or actuation), allowing the system to provide effective resistance training while distributing complexity across separate components rather than consolidating all functions in a single complex unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cable as an intermediary mechanical element that transmits force between the actuator and the user's body. This cable-mediated force transmission simplifies the actuator design compared to direct mechanical coupling, as the cable can transmit tension forces efficiently while allowing for flexible routing and positioning, thereby reducing the complexity of the actuator-system interface.
2Measurement precision
If the device provides real-time resistance control based on position, then exercise form accuracy is improved, but the processing requirements and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit pre-calculates and stores optimal resistance profiles for various exercise positions and types before the user begins exercising. During exercise execution, the system retrieves pre-computed resistance values based on the current position sensor data, rather than performing complex real-time optimization calculations. This preliminary preparation of control strategies significantly reduces the computational burden and energy consumption during actual exercise performance while maintaining high exercise form accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where position sensors continuously monitor the user's body position, and the control unit adjusts resistance accordingly based on this feedback. The feedback mechanism uses simple position thresholds and predefined resistance curves rather than complex algorithms, enabling real-time resistance adjustment with minimal processing requirements and energy consumption.
3Weight of moving object
If the device is designed to be lightweight and wearable, then user comfort and portability are improved, but the actuator power and cable tension capability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable device utilizes the user's own body weight and gravity as counterweights to balance the mass of the actuators and other components. By strategically positioning actuators and using the user's body structure as support, the system achieves adequate cable tension capability without requiring excessively heavy actuators, thereby maintaining device portability and wearability while providing sufficient resistance force for effective exercise.
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable device may include an actuator including a motor and/or circuitry, a sensor configured to generate motion data corresponding to a motion of a hand of a user, at least one processor configured to control the actuator, a cable connected to the actuator, and a body coupling component connected to the cable and connected or fixed to a body part of the user, wherein the processor is individually and/or collectively configured to estimate a position of the hand of the user based on the motion data corresponding to the motion of the hand of the user, determine a tension value to be applied to the cable at the position of the hand of the user based on the position of the hand of the user and a tension control model defined with respect to a surrounding space of the user, and control the actuator to generate tension at the determined tension value on the cable.