Whether you’re an athlete or someone experiencing foot pain, eliminating high-pressure areas on the sole is important. By indicating where such areas are during various activities, experimental insoles may help.
Today, professionals walk barefoot on pressure-sensitive floor mats at foot clinics to create a “pressure map” of the soles of a person’s feet. Custom insoles shaped to relieve pressure in the most pressure-bearing areas of the foot are then made for the patient.
While this system works fine, walking slowly through short stretches on the mat doesn’t necessarily reflect what you do with your feet throughout a normal day. Also, athletes do not have a complete picture of the pressure on their feet when running or jumping.
Marco Binelli, ETH Zurich
In search of a better alternative, scientists from the Swiss ETH Zurich, Empa and EPFL research institutes have developed a new insole. Existing in-shoe devices include multiple piezo-electric sensors placed in areas where pressure typically occurs.
The current prototype is wired to a computer and power source, but the idea is that the final wireless version could be worn for days throughout the day, recording and mapping pressure points. You can use that data to create a custom 3D printed set of him. Permanence insole.
In fact, the pressure-sensing insole itself is 3D printed. First, a flexible base layer of silicone and cellulose nanoparticles is laid down. Then print a conductor onto that base using a conductive silver ink. The sensor is then printed onto the conductor using carbon black ink. Finally, another silicon layer is applied to protect the electronic components.
This relatively simple and inexpensive manufacturing process is one of the main selling points of this technology, as the insoles can be sold at a much lower price than existing products. In the tests conducted so far, the new insole has performed very well.
“From the detected pressure pattern, we can tell if someone is walking, running, climbing stairs or carrying a heavy load on their back. In this case the pressure is transferred to the heel. ” Research Leader.
A paper on this study was recently published in the journal scientific report.
Source: Empa
