Smart Insole Design for Foot Pressure Monitoring

Foot pressure monitoring helps diagnose and monitor medical conditions such as diabetic neuropathy, plantar fasciitis, and peripheral vascular diseases. It enables healthcare providers to detect early signs of these conditions and assess the effectiveness of treatments. However, current techniques for monitoring foot pressure are inadequate for prolonged daily use. Additionally, the cost associated with current systems limits the widespread use. This work introduces an innovative, affordable footwear system using capacitive sensors specifically designed for continuous foot pressure monitoring in individuals. The system comprises an insole embedded with capacitive sensors capable of real-time, dynamic monitoring of foot pressure. The gathered data is transmitted to a monitoring device through a Raspberry-Pi-Pico, a microprocessor unit, enabling patients at high risk of medical conditions to receive early warnings regarding changes in foot pressure. Regarding the sensors, the copper foil is utilised as a capacitor. The system comprises a common copper plate below the insole and 16 individual copper plates resting on the top, resulting in a cost-effective insole system. The sensors exhibited flexibility and pliability, fulfilling the daily plantar pressure monitoring requirements.