Smart Shoe Insert Improves Mobility for Walking Problems
- Maintaining balance while walking may seem automatic - until suddenly it isn't.
- A new wearable electronic device that can be inserted inside any shoe may be able to address this challenge.
- The researchers presented their work in the paper, "Flexible Smart Insole and Plantar Pressure Monitoring Using Screen-Printed Nanomaterials and Piezoresistive Sensors".
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smart Insole Detects Gait Impairment, Predicting Falls
Table of Contents
The Problem of Gait impairment
Maintaining balance while walking may seem automatic – until suddenly it isn’t. Gait impairment, or difficulty with walking, is a major liability for stroke and Parkinson’s patients. Not only do gait issues slow a person down, but they are also one of the top causes of falls. And solutions are frequently enough limited to time-intensive and costly physical therapy.
Introducing the Smart Insole
A new wearable electronic device that can be inserted inside any shoe may be able to address this challenge. The device, developed by Georgia Tech researchers, is made of more than 170 thin, flexible sensors that measure foot pressure – a key metric for determining whether someone is off-balance. The sensor collects pressure data, which the researchers could eventually use to predict which changes lead to falls.
The researchers presented their work in the paper, “Flexible Smart Insole and Plantar Pressure Monitoring Using Screen-Printed Nanomaterials and Piezoresistive Sensors”. It was the cover paper in the August edition of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Pressure Points: The Technology Behind the Innovation
Smart footwear isn’t new – but making it both functional and affordable has been nearly impossible. W. Hong Yeo’s lab has made its reputation on creating malleable medical devices. The researchers rely on the common commercial practice of screen-printing electronics to screen-print sensors. They realized they could apply this printing technique to address walking difficulties.
“Screen-printing is favorable for developing medical devices because its low-cost and scalable,” said Yeo, the Peterson Professor and Harris Saunders Jr. Professor in the George W. woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. “So, when it comes to thinking about commercialization and mass production, screen-printing is a really good platform as it’s already been used in the electronics industry.”
How Screen-Printing Enables Affordable Smart Footwear
Conventional methods of creating sensors for wearable devices are often expensive and complex. Screen-printing offers a significant advantage in terms of cost and scalability. The process involves depositing conductive inks onto a flexible substrate thru a stencil, creating the sensor network. This method allows for mass production without the need for specialized equipment or highly skilled labour.
The Role of Nanomaterials
The sensors themselves are made using screen-printed nanomaterials and piezoresistive sensors. Piezoresistive sensors change their electrical resistance when subjected to mechanical stress, such as the pressure exerted by the