‘Smart insoles’ could help diagnose dementia, other health problems

A new “smart insole” system that transmits data based on a person’s gait could one day provide earlier warnings of dementia, orthopedic issues and lumbar disc problems, a recent study says.

Writing in Science Advances, researchers called the system “a practical solution for improving clinical assessments, personalized treatments, and biomechanics research.”

The pressure-sensing insoles are self-powered by solar cells. Inside them are 22 sensors that convert the pressure of a person’s gait into electrical signals. The signals are then transmitted to a smartphone, which uses an app to visualize the wearer’s pressure distribution and gait. The app also can recognize eight states of motion with the help of machine learning, showing whether the wearer is sitting, standing, running or moving in another way.

This could help future athletes and patients correct their posture, rehabilitate after injuries or monitor their progress in health programs, the researchers say.

“Our bodies carry lots of useful information that we’re not even aware of,” Jinghua Li, one of the study co-authors and an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Ohio State University, said in a news release. “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.”

Previous research has shown the promise of gait analysis to diagnose conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, which often causes a shuffling or leaning gait. Better sensors could help the field reach its potential, the researchers write.