A new smart insole system that monitors how people walk in real time could help users improve posture and provide early warnings for conditions from plantar fasciitis to Parkinson’s disease.
A new smart insole system that monitors how people walk in real time could help users improve posture and provide early warnings for conditions from plantar fasciitis to Parkinson’s disease.
Constructed using 22 small pressure sensors and fueled by small solar panels on the tops of shoes, the system offers real-time health tracking based on how a person walks, a biomechanical process that is as unique as a human fingerprint.
This complex personal health data can then be transmitted via Bluetooth to a smartphone for quick and detailed analysis, said Jinghua Li, co-author of the study and an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at The Ohio State University.
“Our bodies carry lots of useful information that we’re not even aware of,” said Li. “These statuses also change over time, so it’s our goal to use electronics to extract and decode those signals to encourage better self health care checks.”
Read more at Ohio State University
Photo Credit: Fotorech via Pixabay
