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An automatically controlled exercise machine which is intended to produce optimal development of skeletal muscle strength for athletic purposes and in physical rehabilitation. The mechanical configuration of this machine is based on a linkage comprised of a series of links connected together so as t

An automatically controlled exercise machine which is intended to produce optimal development of skeletal muscle strength for athletic purposes and in physical rehabilitation. The mechanical configuration of this machine is based on a linkage comprised of a series of links connected together so as to allow movement of each link relative to another. Each link is provided with a separate powering device which drives it relative to another link. This linkage interacts with the user by means of various removable attachments located on the outermost link. These independent powering devices are controlled by a feedback control system, so that the user interaction point moves along any specified path in response to forces exerted by the user, and simultaneously provides resisting forces which vary in any desired manner according to position, speed, time, and user-exerted forces.

대표청구항 ▼

A programmable exercise machine for defining and recording an exercise path comprising: a rigid frame; at least two links connected to one another and attached at at least one point to said rigid frame, said links being movable relative to one another and to said rigid frame; user interaction means

A programmable exercise machine for defining and recording an exercise path comprising: a rigid frame; at least two links connected to one another and attached at at least one point to said rigid frame, said links being movable relative to one another and to said rigid frame; user interaction means attached to one of said links for contacting a body part of the user and for receiving user-exerted forces so as to be movable to any desired position in at least two degrees of freedom relative to said frame; independent powering means associated with each link, each said powering means being operative to drive said associated link in a predetermined path of motion relative to said other links and to said frame and exerting resisting forces to oppose said user-exerted forces; and automatic control means operative to receive and store signals corresponding to magnitude and direction of an arbitrary user-defined exercise path in said two degrees of freedom, and further operative for controlling said powering means in response to said stored signals to define movement of said user interaction means along said path in response to the magnitude and direction of said user-exerted force. The method of defining and controlling an exercise through manual force applied to a user interaction point of an exercise machine, comprising the steps of: manually moving the user interaction point a first time to define an arbitrary exercise path within a predetermined region having at least two degrees of freedom; storing said defined exercise path; and then manually moving the user interaction point a second time while applying a machine exerted force to said user interaction point in response to said stored exercise path to inhibit the user interaction point from movement to a location not along said defined exercise path.