The Dynamic Exercise & Mobility Machine

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Medical

Two hospital visits left a walking condition that was wobbly and uncertain. The walking surfaces here in Canada in the autumn and winter contribute to slip and fall accidents for seniors.

My 81 year old weakened muscles due to inactivity were affecting my quality of life. Previously an associate and I had designed a pedal trike with electric assist and I had been road testing the #I prototype over the past few years or so and on impulse I fiddled around with the gear ratios until I found a sweet spot where I could get exercise for the big leg muscles and use a little bit of electric assist on hills.

(The prototype was built around components from an end of life e-scooter which over time has allowed us to evaluate recycled electrics, batteries, and electronics in the Canadian extreme climate conditions). The E-Trike is regulated as a pedal trike with electrical assist, so, to get exercise regardless of heat, humidity, snow or ice pedal power is applied and when the exercise begins to overheat or fatigue a rider, electrical power assist allows for a breezy cooling off cruising and touring experience in summertime and hilarious fun fish tailing in complete control in snow in wintertime (The machine goes precisely in the direction the rider points it regardless of surface conditions on which one can barely walk in winter...an engineered geometric design layout provides this).

Over time this exercise tones up muscles and stimulates circulation providing an exercise regime which not only is healthy but lets you go much further afield than by walking. The muscle toning proceeds rapidly because the exercise takes place with less stress due to the semi-recumbent seated position.

A Health & Wellness advocate indicates that this form of dynamic exercise regardless of weather conditions provides enhanced fresh air exercise all year round with fully expanded lungs because of the semi-recumbent seating and because the big muscles are worked without concern about slips and falls the therapeutic use of the machine has obvious merit.

Since populations are aging and in many cases living longer, enhancement exercising as described keeps seniors in better health and provides them with freedom to explore further afield than walking. Moreover, the rejuvenated muscle conditioning allows extended battery range since the power module controller "sees" less demand due to human input and probably more important, wobbly walking becomes a thing of the past.

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  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    John Mitchell
  • Type of entry:
    team
    Team members:
    John Mitchell James R. Grimwood
  • Software used for this entry:
    Rhinoceros
  • Patent status:
    none