Human lower limb performance enhancement outfit

Abstract

The present invention comprises a user-friendly, soft and resilient, biomimetic (mimicking biological entities) lower limb support outfits that can be worn externally by people to improve and enhance lower limb, legs and knees performance in sports, daily dynamic activities and medical rehabilitation/physical therapy. More specifically, the present invention relates to an outfit, which allows a portion of the upper limb's quasi-static weight and dynamic weight due to impact forces to be excluded from being transmitted to the lower limb, legs, quadriceps and hamstrings muscles and knees by directly transmitting them to the ankles, footwear and/or the ground, through soft elastic columnar quasi-legs that are equipped with smart biomimetic materials such as shape memory materials and artificial muscles such as synthetic and/or ionic polymeric muscles and provide lower limb support function by buckling and bending in accordance with the dynamic maneuvering of the user. The said lower limb performance enhancing outfit is encapsulated by user-friendly fabric means for easy wear. The upper portion of the outfit can be in the form of a sports short worn by the user and encapsulating the buttocks support plates.

1 ) A human performance enhancement apparatus, comprising a biomimetic quasi-leg, having first and second ends and extending along an path therebetween, wherein the quasi-leg is bendable along a direction transverse to the path, wherein the first end: comprises a structure that mounts with an ankle or foot of a human, which mounting provides a firm attachment with the ankle or foot both when the ankle or foot is at rest and when the ankle or foot is in motion, and wherein the second end comprises a structure that mounts with the buttocks of a human, which mounting provides load transference from the buttocks to the structure both when the human is at rest and when the human is in motion.  
     
     
         2 ) An apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein the first end comprises a binding strap suitable for attachment to a human ankle or to a human foot.  
     
     
         3 ) An apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein the first end comprises footwear suitable for wear by a human.  
     
     
         4 ) An apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein the second end comprises a buttocks support plate.  
     
     
         5 ) An apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein the quasi-leg comprises a resilient column.  
     
     
         6 ) An apparatus as in  claim 5 , wherein the resilient column comprises a shape memory alloy.  
     
     
         7 ) An apparatus as in  claim 5 , wherein the resilient column comprises a synthetic polymeric muscle, an ionic polymeric muscle, or a combination thereof.  
     
     
         8 ) An apparatus as in  claim 1 , further comprising fabric encapsulating at least a portion of the apparatus.  
     
     
         9 ) An apparatus as in  claim 1 , further comprising a second biomimetic quasi-leg, having first and second ends, and extending along an path therebetween, wherein the second quasi-leg is bendable along a direction transverse to the path, wherein the first end comprises a structure that mounts with an ankle or foot of a human, which mounting provides a firm attachment with the ankle or foot both when the ankle or foot is at rest and when the ankle or foot is in motion, and wherein the second end comprises a structure that mounts with the buttocks of a human, which mounting provides load transference from the buttocks to the structure both when the human is at rest and when the human is in motion.  
     
     
         10 ) A human performance enhancement apparatus, comprising a biomimetic quasi-leg, having first and second ends, and extending along an path therebetween, wherein the guasi-leg is bendable along a direction transverse to the path, wherein the second end comprises a second structure that mounts with a portion of the human body above the knee, which mounting provides a firm attachment of the second structure to the portion of the human body both when the body is at rest and when the body is in motion, and wherein the first end comprises a first structure that mounts with a portion of the human body below the knee, which mounting provides a firm attachment of the first structure to the portion of the human body both when the body is at rest and when the body is in motion.  
     
     
         11 ) An apparatus as in  claim 10 , wherein the first structure provides a firm attachment with a human foot or ankle.  
     
     
         12 ) An apparatus as in  claim 11 , wherein the second structure provides a firm attachment with a human waist.  
     
     
         13 ) An apparatus as in  claim 11 , wherein the second end structure provides a firm attachment with a human torso.  
     
     
         14 ) An apparatus as in  claim 11 , further comprising a second biomimetic quasi-leg, having first and second ends, and extending along an path therebetween, wherein the second quasi-leg is bendable along a direction transverse to the path, wherein the second end comprises a second structure that mounts with a portion of the human body above the knee, which mounting provides a firm attachment of the second structure to the portion of the human body both when the body is at rest and when the body is in motion, and wherein the first end comprises a first structure that mounts with a portion of the human body below the knee, which mounting provides a firm attachment of the first structure to the portion of the human body both when the body is at rest and when the body is in motion.  
     
     
         15 ) A human performance enhancement apparatus, comprising a biomimetic quasi-leg, having first and second ends, and extending along an path therebetween, wherein the second quasi-leg is bendable along a direction transverse to the path, wherein the second end comprises a second structure that mounts with a portion of the human body above the knee, which mounting provides a firm attachment of the second structure to the portion of the human body both when the body is at rest and when the body is in motion, and wherein the first end comprises a first structure that mounts in a substantially fixed relationship with a portion of the human body below the knee, which mounting provides a firm attachment of the first structure to the portion of the human body both when the body is at rest and when the body is in motion.  
     
     
         16 ) An apparatus as in  claim 15 , wherein the first structure provides for mounting with a ski boot, ski binding, or ski.  
     
     
         17 ) An apparatus as in  claim 15 , wherein the second structure comprises a vest.  
     
     
         18 ) An apparatus as in  claim 15 , wherein the first structure comprises a foot mountable with a floor or support stand on which a user of the apparatus stands.  
     
     
         19 ) An apparatus as in  claim 10 , wherein the biomimetic quasi-leg comprises a bendable resilient column.  
     
     
         20 ) An apparatus as in  claim 19 , wherein the column comprises a material chosen from the group consisting of (a) synthetic polymeric artificial muscle, and (b) ionic polymeric artificial muscle.