Compressible Yoga Support Block With Grip Apertures and Chamfered Edges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support apparatuses for yoga and exercises are often uncomfortable, difficult to grip, and may not accommodate a wide range of user sizes, leading to slippage and reduced effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A compressible support block with a cuboidal shape, chamfered edges, and stadium-shaped apertures that allows for easy gripping and versatile positioning, made from materials like plastic, rubber, or foam, which can be stacked for storage and used for various exercises.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a support block is made solid and dense to support user weight, then strength is improved, but weight of the object increases making it harder to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The support block incorporates a porous interior structure with void spaces distributed throughout the material. This porous configuration reduces the overall density and weight of the block while maintaining structural integrity through the interconnected cellular framework, allowing it to support user weight during yoga and exercise activities without being excessively heavy for carrying and storage.
2Ease of operation
If the block surface is made smooth and flat for comfort, then ease of operation is improved, but grip stability deteriorates causing slippage
Solution Approach 1:
The support block features differentiated surface zones with distinct textures: smooth flat areas provide comfort for body contact during yoga poses, while strategically located textured or ridged zones provide enhanced friction and grip stability for hand placement and positioning. This local quality variation allows the single block surface to simultaneously deliver comfort and prevent slippage in different functional areas.
3Reliability
If the block is made with fixed rigid structure for stability, then reliability is improved, but adaptability deteriorates limiting positioning options
Solution Approach 1:
The support block incorporates adjustable positioning mechanisms that allow users to modify the block's orientation, angle, and configuration during use. The block maintains structural stability through its rigid core construction while enabling dynamic repositioning via movable components or adjustable features, providing multiple positioning options for different yoga and exercise activities without compromising reliability.
4Strength
If the block is made large to support more weight and provide wide surface area, then strength and comfort are improved, but device complexity and storage difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support block design incorporates nested or stackable configurations that allow multiple blocks to be stored efficiently within each other or in compact arrangements. The blocking structure includes features that enable one block to nest within another or stack vertically, reducing the storage space required for multiple blocks while maintaining their full size and weight-bearing capacity when in use.
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
The support block provides enhanced comfort, stability, and versatility, allowing users to perform exercises with ease and safety, supporting a wide range of users and facilitating muscle engagement or relaxation, while being durable and easy to clean.
Implementation Method 1
a block formed unitarily of a material that is subject to compression during use
Implementation Method 2
The sides of the block can form chamfered edges to reduce the angularity of each edge, providing additional comfort and safety
Data Source
AI summary
Some of the embodiments are therefore directed to an apparatus configured for assisting a human user to perform yoga. The apparatus includes a block formed unitarily of a material that is subject to compression during use, with the block including a rectangle in cross-section. The block includes top and bottom opposing surfaces, front and rear opposing surfaces, and opposing side surfaces. The opposing side surfaces each have a length that is substantially the same as a length of the top and bottom surfaces and a height that is substantially the same as a height of the front and rear surfaces. The length of the top, bottom, and side surfaces are longer than the height of the front, rear, and side surfaces. One of the opposing side surfaces defines an aperture that opposes an aperture of the other of the side surfaces, the apertures extending partially into an interior of the block to a length so as to not form a contiguous aperture.