New patent application published for: VOICE-ACTIVATED AUTOMATED SPOTTING AND WEIGHT-LIFTING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM

VOICE-ACTIVATED AUTOMATED SPOTTING AND WEIGHT-LIFTING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM

Claims

1. A voice-activated automated spotting system comprising: a stand that includes a base and a vertical column extending from the base, the column defining a linear rack having a plurality of rack teeth thereon; and a carriage assembly comprising: a hook carriage slidably mounted on the column, the hook carriage including a J-hook configured to seat a portion of a weight bar; a pinion gear meshed with the rack teeth; an electric motor operatively coupled to the pinion gear and configured, when activated, to translate the hook carriage upward or downward along the column; and a controller including a processor, a memory, and a voice-assist module, the controller being operatively connected to the electric motor and programmed to actuate the motor in response to detection of a predetermined spoken command so that the hook carriage is raised or lowered without manual contact by a user.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises a wireless transceiver configured to exchange voice-command data with an external cloud-based voice-assistant service.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a load sensor coupled to the hook carriage and producing a signal indicative of weight borne by the J-hook, the controller being further programmed to control the electric motor to change hook carriage height in five-pound incremental steps responsive to successive spoken commands.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the base includes wheels that engage a floor surface only when the stand is tilted beyond a nominal operating attitude, thereby permitting relocation while preserving stationary stability during exercise.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a rechargeable battery pack housed within the base and electrically coupled to the controller so as to power the voice-assist module and motor during untethered operation.
6. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to provide audible or visual feedback of the weight measured by the load sensor in real time.
7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second spotting system identical to the first and a wireless synchronization link between their respective controllers, the link causing both electric motors to actuate concurrently in response to a single spoken command.
8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mechanical fail-safe latch independent of the motor and pinion gear, the latch being automatically engageable to arrest a descending J-hook and thereby hold a weight bar at a fixed elevation in the absence of powered actuation.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to drive the electric motor so as to elevate the J-hook from a position substantially flush with a floor surface to a position sufficient to facilitate loading or unloading weight plates for a deadlift exercise.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the column, base, and hook carriage are formed predominantly from steel and the electric motor is selected to deliver a peak lifting force of at least 300 N, thereby enabling the system to raise a barbell loaded to 200 lbs in less than two seconds.
11. A voice-activated automated spotting system comprising two identical spotting units, each spotting unit comprising: a stand that includes a base and a vertical column extending from the base, the column defining a linear rack having a plurality of rack teeth thereon; and a carriage assembly comprising: a hook carriage slidably mounted on the column, the hook carriage including a J-hook configured to seat a portion of a weight bar; a pinion gear meshed with the rack teeth; an electric motor operatively coupled to the pinion gear and configured, when activated, to translate the hook carriage upward or downward along the column; and a controller including a processor, a memory, and a voice-assist module, the controller being operatively connected to the electric motor and programmed to actuate the motor in response to detection of a predetermined spoken command so that the hook carriage is raised or lowered without manual contact by a user.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein each controller further comprises a wireless transceiver configured to exchange voice-command data with an external cloud-based voice-assistant service.
13. The system of claim 11, each spotting unit further comprising a load sensor coupled to the hook carriage and producing a signal indicative of weight borne by the J-hook, the controller being further programmed to control the electric motor to change hook carriage height in five-pound incremental steps responsive to successive spoken commands.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein each base includes wheels that engage a floor surface only when the stand is tilted beyond a nominal operating attitude, thereby permitting relocation while preserving stationary stability during exercise.
15. The system of claim 11, each spotting unit further comprising a rechargeable battery pack housed within the base and electrically coupled to the controller so as to power the voice-assist module and motor during untethered operation.
16. The system of claim 13, wherein each controller is configured to provide audible or visual feedback of the weight measured by the load sensor in real time.
17. The system of claim 11, further comprising a wireless synchronization link between the two spotting units, the link causing both electric motors to actuate concurrently in response to a single spoken command.
18. The system of claim 11, each spotting unit further comprising a mechanical fail-safe latch independent of the motor and pinion gear, the latch being automatically engageable to arrest a descending J-hook and thereby hold a weight bar at a fixed elevation in the absence of powered actuation.
19. The system of claim 11, wherein each controller is further programmed to drive the electric motor so as to elevate the J-hook from a position substantially flush with a floor surface to a position sufficient to facilitate loading or unloading weight plates for a deadlift exercise.
20. The system of claim 11, wherein each column, base, and hook carriage are formed predominantly from steel and each electric motor is selected to deliver a peak lifting force of at least 300 N, thereby enabling the system to raise a barbell loaded to 200 lbs in less than two seconds.