Recovery Force, LLC

Other

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Miga Technologies. LLC

Brian J Stasey

Mark A Gummin

Matthew Wyatt

Ryan Hamilton

Umesh N Gandhi

Ryohei Tsuruta

Brian J Pinkelman

Paul A Gilmore

Shardul S Panwar

Lewis Tyson Ross

Matthew W Wyatt

A compression device for applying controllable compression to a portion of the anatomy of a user, includes a body, at least one memory wire embedded in the body and configured to contract in length upon application of a current so as to reduce an effective length of the body and apply a compressive force to the portion of the anatomy of the user, and a controller configured to selectively apply current to the memory wires to contract the memory wires and reduce the effective length of the body. The controller includes a circuit board supported by the body and a microcontroller mounted to the circuit board, the microcontroller programmed to actuate the memory wires according to a compression protocol stored in a memory associated with the microcontroller. Each memory wire has a first end fixedly connected to the circuit board and a second end fixed relative to the body.

Compression device

An inflation device is provided including a shell, a pin, a restraining element, and a moveable element. The shell is adapted to be coupled to an inflation canister. The pin is positioned within the shell. The pin is adapted to open a seal of the inflation canister. The restraining element is positioned within the shell. The moveable element includes a shape memory alloy. The moveable element is moveable from a first position to a second position responsive to electrical energy sent to the moveable element. While the moveable element is in the first position, the restraining element is secured within the shell to restrain the pin from opening the seal of the inflation canister. While the moveable element is in the second position, the pin is releasable to open the seal of the inflation canister.

Shape memory alloy actuator for inflation device

A multi-stable actuator includes a first superelastic-shape memory alloy (SE-SMA) wire extending between a first fixed support and a movable element and a second SE-SMA wire extending between a second fixed support and the movable element. The first SE-SMA wire is in tension against the second SE-SMA wire and the second SE-SMA wire is in tension against the first SE-SMA wire. The multi-stable actuator also includes at least one heating device configured to heat the first SE-SMA wire independent of the second SE-SMA wire and to heat the second SE-SMA wire independent of the first SE-SMA wire such that the movable element moves between and to at least three fixed positions without use of a brake or clutch.

Multi-stable actuator

A wearable massage and/or compression device for applying controllable scrolling or intermittent sequential forces, such as compression forces, to the body and limbs of a user comprises an elongated fabric body sized to encircle a limb of a user, one or more shape-memory wires carried by the fabric body and configured to apply a compression pressure to the limb through the fabric body upon changing shape in response to a stimulus, and a micro-processor based controller for selectively actuating the one or more shape-changing elements to reduce the effective diameter of the device encircling the limb, to thereby apply pressure to the limb.

A bra incorporates shape memory alloy, either in shape memory or super-elastic states, an accelerometer, a power source, a microprocessor, and an algorithm implemented by the microprocessor to learn and adapt to the displacement pattern of the wearer's breast during a physical activity. The shape memory alloy is in the form of SMA or super-elastic wires integrated into portions of the bra, whereby activating the wire(s) shortens the corresponding wire to produce a compressive force on the breast within the bra. The system thereby provides real-time, active suspension to control breast displacement or bounce. The system provides real-time feedback to a memory or super-elastic material integrated into the bra to provide adaptive force and displacement to counteract the push-off and landing forces at each footfall of the moving wearer affecting breast displacement.

System for minimizing multi-dimensional breast implant

A lace-tightening device for a shoe lace in a shoe includes a rotating cam within a housing disposed within the shoe. The cam is connected to the opposite ends of the shoe lace and includes an outer surface for receiving the shoe lace as the cam rotates to pull the lace. A ratchet arm is slidably disposed within the housing and includes linear teeth arranged to engage the teeth of a driven gear as the ratchet arm translates in a linear direction, to rotate the gear in the one direction. The driven gear is part of a gear train connected to the cam to rotate the cam. The ratchet arm is pulled by at least one shape memory alloy (SMA) wire attached to a controller that is configured to execute a power cycle to energize and deenergize the SMA wire to thereby sequentially translate the ratchet arm in the linear direction, and ultimately to incrementally pull and tighten the shoe lace.

Lace tightener incorporating SMA wire

Compression of venous tissue enables improved blood flow in the feet. For example, nitinol wire wrapped around a curved footbed is electrically heated and thus shrinks forcing the wire on the top of the footbed into the bottom of the foot. The wire, or group of wires, is successively withdrawn and re-pressed against the bottom of the foot from toe to heel. Athletic recovery and treatment of various medical conditions may be achieved, for example restless leg syndrome, edema, plantar fasciitis, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, venous insufficiency, wound care, and the like.

Nitinol-driven bottom of foot compression system

A wearable massage and/or compression device for applying controllable scrolling or intermittent sequential forces, such as compression forces, to the body and limbs of a user comprises one or more shape-memory wires integrated into an article of clothing and configured to apply a compression pressure to the limb through the fabric body upon changing shape in response to a stimulus, a pre-tensioning apparatus in the form of a bungee cord associated with each shape memory wire, and a micro-processor based controller for selectively actuating the one or more shape memory wire to reduce the length of the shape memory wire to thereby apply pressure to the wearer's body.

A mobile compression integument for applying controllable scrolling or intermittent sequential forces, such as compression forces, to the body and limbs of a user comprises an elongated fabric body sized to encircle a limb of a user, one or more shape-changing elements carried by the fabric body and configured to apply a compression pressure to the limb through the fabric body upon changing shape in response to a stimulus, and a micro-processor based controller for selectively actuating the one or more shape-changing elements to reduce the effective diameter of the integument encircling the limb, to thereby apply pressure to the limb.

Compression integument

A garment incorporates shape memory alloy, either in shape memory or super-elastic states, an accelerometer, a power source, a microprocessor, and an algorithm implemented by the microprocessor to learn and adapt to the displacement pattern of the wearer's body during a physical activity. The shape memory alloy is in the form of SMA or super-elastic wires integrated into portions of the garment, whereby activating the wire(s) shortens the corresponding wire to produce a compressive force on the wearer's body within the garment. The system thereby provides real-time, active suspension to control breast displacement, jiggle or bounce. The system provides real-time feedback to a memory or super-elastic material integrated into the garment to provide adaptive force and displacement to counteract the push-off and landing forces at each footfall of the moving wearer affecting displacement of the body.

System for minimizing multi-dimensional displacement of the body

A lace-tightening device for a shoe lace in a shoe comprises a rotating cam within a housing disposed within the shoe. The cam is connected to the opposite ends of the shoe lace and includes an outer surface for receiving the shoe lace as the cam rotates to pull the lace. A driven gear disposed is rotatably coupled to the cam through a one-way clutch configured so that rotation of the driven gear in one direction rotates the cam in the one direction, thereby tightening the shoe lace connected to the rotating cam. A ratchet arm is slidably disposed within the housing and includes linear teeth arranged to engage the teeth of the driven gear as the ratchet arm translates in a linear direction. to rotate the gear in the one direction. The ratchet arm is pulled by at least one shape memory alloy (SMA) wire attached at one end to the ratchet arm and at its opposite end to a controller. The controller is configured to execute a power cycle to energize and deenergize the SMA wire so that the wire sequentially shrinks and returns to its original length to thereby sequentially translate the ratchet arm in the linear direction, and ultimately to incrementally pull and tighten the shoe lace. The controller repeats the cycle a number of times until the lace reaches a tightness desired by the user.

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Fishers, IN, United States of America

Brian J Stasey