Segmented Weighted Garments for Balance Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with neurological disorders and balance dysfunction face challenges in maintaining their center of gravity over their base of support, leading to decreased postural and motor control, due to imbalances in somatosensory, vestibular, and visual input systems, which can result in nervous system fatigue and compromised balance, vision, and equilibrium.
Innovation Solution
The development of adjustable balance evaluation garments and orthotics that use weighted devices to provide proprioceptive cues, allowing for systematic weight placement on the torso or other body regions to improve balance by counteracting instability and enhancing sensory integration, through methods involving body positioning and perturbation techniques to determine optimal weight distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If weighted garments or orthotics are used to improve balance and postural control, then balance and stability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The weighted garment is divided into multiple segments including a torso portion, leg portions, and arm portions that can be independently adjusted. Each segment can have weights placed at different locations and in different amounts, allowing customized balance correction for specific neurological conditions without requiring a completely complex rigid structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The garment incorporates adjustable elements such as removable weights, adjustable straps, and flexible positioning mechanisms that allow the device to adapt to different patients and different balance conditions. This dynamic adjustability improves reliability for various balance disorders while avoiding the need for overly complex fixed structures.
2Stability of the object's composition
If weights are strategically placed on the torso to counterbalance upper body mass and improve center of gravity control, then postural stability is enhanced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The garment is designed with pre-determined weight placement zones and attachment points on the torso that are positioned based on biomechanical principles to effectively counterbalance upper body mass. This preliminary positioning of weight zones simplifies the manufacturing process while ensuring that weights are placed at optically effective locations for improving center of gravity control.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the garment have different properties - the torso portion contains specific weight placement zones with appropriate reinforcement and attachment mechanisms, while other portions have different characteristics. This localized quality allows precise weight placement where needed without requiring high precision throughout the entire garment structure.
3Reliability
If adjustable balance evaluation garments are used to determine optimal weight placement through body positioning and perturbation techniques, then balance improvement is optimized, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The garment incorporates clear markings, intuitive adjustment mechanisms, and self-aligning features that allow patients or caregivers to adjust weight placement and garment fit without requiring extensive professional assistance. This self-service capability maintains ease of operation while still enabling optimized balance improvement through proper weight positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The garment includes evaluation features such as visual markers, alignment indicators, and adjustable elements that provide immediate feedback on proper fitting and weight placement. This feedback mechanism guides users through the adjustment process, making the complex task of optimizing balance improvement more manageable and easier to perform correctly.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
Weighting garment and orthotics are provided for improving balance. In particular, adjustable balance evaluation systems are used to determine placement of a weight to improve a subject's balance. These evaluation systems may be used to create customized garments for enhancing or improving balance. Described herein are customized garments for enhancing balance. Methods of creating customized garments enhance balance from the adjustable balance evaluation systems. Methods testing methods to improve vision.