Researchers from the Georgia Technical Institute have invented a portable electronic device that can be placed in any shoe, with the aim of improving the ability to walk in patients with strokes and Parkinson’s Parkinson. The device is characterized by a low cost and depends on more than 170 flexible and soft sensors to measure foot pressure, which is an essential indication to determine the imbalance during walking. Loop disorder is one of the most important challenges that patients face stroke and Parkinson, as its impact is not limited to slow movement, but one of the most important causes of fall, in light of the limited solutions that often require a cost -effective and time consumer. The device collects data on printing that in the future can help predict the changes that can lead to fall. The researchers presented their studies in a scientific paper published as a cover for August of Acsaplied Mateials & Interstesses. Press points, although smart shoes are not a new innovation, the combination of practical functions and the low cost remained a major challenge. Here, Professor Hong U, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Technical Institute, who built his scientific reputation, distinguishes about the development of bearable elastic medical devices. The team relied on screen printing technology, which is a widely used technology in electronic manufacturing, to print sensors on the smart sole. “The screen pressure is an ideal choice for the development of medical devices because they are low and expandable. If we think about commercial manufacturing and mass production, it is a platform already ready in the electronic sector.” A comfortable integrated design. The research team focused on developing a preliminary model that combines effectiveness and ease, so they made the device thin enough to fit ordinary shoes without hindering the user’s movement. The device is also provided with Bluetooth technology that allows it to connect to smartphones, enabling it to send data directly, and gives the ability to link it to health monitoring applications in the future. These technical features opened the door to expand the scope of the device in realistic environments, as they can be linked to robotic devices to help patients and the elderly walk, while the high density of the sensors enables the application of advanced automatic learning algorithms to predict the traps. The device can also be used by professional athletes for exactly motor performance analysis, which gives it both medical and sports uses. Less than $ 100 and Yu indicated that one of the most important goals of the project is to maintain low production costs, while emphasizing the final price without a US dollar obstacle, so it is available to the general users, and not just for medical institutions or research. With the funding of the American National Science Foundation, the researchers have so far tested healthy people, and they hope to expand the extent of experiments to include patients with hiking disorders in preparation for the introduction of the device in the upcoming period. “I try to bridge the gap between the medical devices available in hospitals, and those who are still in the process of research within the laboratories. We want these devices to be ready today, not after ten years.” Thanks to the wireless design of the low cost and the ability to provide immediate data, this smart sole can create a shift in monitoring and managing walking disorders, not only in clinics, but also in the daily life of users.
An intelligent sole that can improve the ability to move in patients with hiking disorders
