Wearable Roller Device with Low Center of Gravity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional roller devices often have a high center of gravity, making them risky and uncomfortable, and are difficult to maneuver, with many users finding them too heavy, slow, or prone to crashes, and are perceived as uncool or expensive.
Innovation Solution
A wearable device with a low center of gravity and independent suspension for wheel assemblies, providing a stable and aesthetically appealing option that combines the features of a shoe with roller elements, allowing for smooth, efficient, and enjoyable roller transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional roller devices are designed with larger wheel assemblies and higher frame structures, then they provide greater rolling capability, but they result in a high center of gravity making them risky and uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the wheel assembly from a traditional side-mounted configuration to a configuration where wheels are positioned beneath the user's feet, effectively changing the spatial dimension of the rolling mechanism. This dimensional change allows the center of gravity to remain low while still providing effective rolling capability, as the wheels operate in a different spatial plane relative to the user's body.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel assembly is nested within the shoe structure, with the wheels positioned inside or integrated into the shoe body rather than being external attachments. This nesting approach allows the rolling mechanism to be contained within the footprint of the shoe, maintaining a low profile and low center of gravity while preserving rolling function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional roller devices incorporate more roller elements to improve mobility, then they enable more ambulatory motions, but they become heavier and more difficult to maneuver
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential rolling function from a complex multi-wheel configuration and implements it through a simplified single-wheel or dual-wheel design integrated into the shoe. By taking out only the necessary rolling elements needed to achieve ambulatory motion and eliminating extraneous components, the device maintains versatility while reducing weight and improving maneuverability.
Solution Approach 2:
The rolling function is segmented into discrete wheel assemblies positioned at specific locations on the shoe (e.g., heel and toe, or individual toe wheels). This segmentation allows each wheel to perform a specific function independently, providing versatile ambulatory motion capability while keeping each individual component lightweight and the overall structure simple.
3Strength
If conventional roller devices use larger frame structures to support roller elements, then they provide structural stability, but they increase device complexity and reduce maneuverability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the frame structure with the shoe itself, using the shoe's existing structural elements (sole, upper, heel counter) to support the roller elements. By combining the shoe structure and frame into a unified design, the device achieves structural stability without adding separate complex frame components, thereby reducing overall device complexity and improving maneuverability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shoe structure serves multiple functions: it provides foot protection, structural support, and mounting for the roller elements. By making the shoe multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for separate dedicated frame structures, reducing complexity while maintaining the strength and stability needed to support rolling operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable device configured to selectively provide roller transportation, the wearable device including a shoe, a plurality of wheel assemblies, each wheel assembly being configured to selectively roll relative to a ground surface about an associated axis of rotation, and a frame connected between the wheel assemblies, the frame comprising a trunk and a plurality of branches extending from the trunk, each of the branches being configured for connection to at least one of the plurality of wheel assemblies, wherein at least a portion of the shoe is located vertically higher than at least a portion of the frame when at least one of the wheel assemblies is in contact with the ground surface and the at least one of the wheel assemblies is positioned to selectively roll relative to the ground surface.