{"685099":{"#nid":"685099","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Step Forward: New Smart Shoe Insert Could Improve Mobility for People With Walking Problems","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMaintaining balance while walking may seem automatic \u2014 until suddenly it isn\u2019t. Gait impairment, or difficulty with walking, is a major liability for stroke and Parkinson\u2019s patients. \u0026nbsp;Not only do gait issues slow a person down, but they are also one of the top causes of falls. And solutions are often limited to time-intensive and costly physical therapy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA new wearable electronic device that can be inserted inside any shoe may be able to address this challenge.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;device, developed by Georgia Tech researchers,\u0026nbsp;is made of more than 170 thin, flexible sensors that measure foot pressure \u2014 a key metric for determining whether someone is off-balance. The sensor collects pressure data, which the researchers could eventually use to predict which changes lead to falls.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers presented their work in the paper, \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acsami.5c08296\u0022\u003EFlexible Smart Insole and Plantar Pressure Monitoring Using Screen-Printed Nanomaterials and Piezoresistive Sensors\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d It was the cover paper in the August edition of \u003Cem\u003EACSApplied Materials \u0026amp; Interfaces\u003C\/em\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPressure Points\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESmart footwear isn\u2019t new \u2014 but making it both functional and affordable has been nearly impossible. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/yeo\u0022\u003EW. Hong Yeo\u2019s\u003C\/a\u003E lab has made its reputation on creating malleable\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/feature\/pacifier\u0022\u003Emedical\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/feature\/tbi\u0022\u003Edevices\u003C\/a\u003E. The researchers rely on the common commercial practice of screen-printing electronics to screen-print sensors. They realized they could apply this printing technique to address walking difficulties.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cScreen-printing is advantageous for developing medical devices because it\u0027s low-cost and scalable,\u201d said Yeo, the Peterson Professor and Harris Saunders Jr. Professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cSo, when it comes to thinking about commercialization and mass production, screen-printing is a really good platform because it\u0027s already been used in the electronics industry.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaking the device accessible to the everyday user was paramount for Yeo\u2019s team. A key innovation was making sure the wearable is thin enough to be comfortable for the wearer and easy to integrate with other assistive technologies. The device uses Bluetooth, enabling a smartphone to collect data and offer the future possibility of integrating with existing health monitoring applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPossibilities for real-world adaptation are promising, thanks to these innovations. Lightweight and small, the wearable could be paired with robotics devices to help stroke and Parkinson\u2019s patients and the elderly walk. The high number of sensors could make it easier for researchers to apply a machine learning algorithm that could predict falls. The device could even enable professional athletes to analyze their performance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERegardless of how the device is used, Yeo intends to keep its cost under $100. So far, with funding from the National Science Foundation, the researchers have tested the device on healthy subjects. They hope to expand the study to people with gait impairments and, eventually, make the device commercially available.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u0027m trying to bridge the gap between the lack of available devices in hospitals or medical practices and the lab-scale devices,\u201d Yeo said. \u201cWe want these devices to be ready now \u2014 not in 10 years.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith its low-cost, wireless design and potential for real-time feedback, this smart insole could transform how we monitor and manage walking difficulties \u2014 not just in clinical settings, but in everyday life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe affordable wearable measures foot pressure and could improve stroke and Parkinson\u2019s therapy.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The affordable wearable measures foot pressure and could improve stroke and Parkinson\u2019s therapy."}],"uid":"34541","created_gmt":"2025-09-18 22:31:18","changed_gmt":"2025-09-23 15:49:45","author":"Tess Malone","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-09-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-09-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678076":{"id":"678076","type":"image","title":"DSC_0589.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EHong Yeo holds the wearable electronic device made of more than 170 thin, flexible sensors that measure foot pressure \u2014 a key metric for determining whether someone is off-balance. [Photos by Joya Chapman]\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1758235084","gmt_created":"2025-09-18 22:38:04","changed":"1758237470","gmt_changed":"2025-09-18 23:17:50","alt":"Hong Yeo holds shoe insert.","file":{"fid":"262057","name":"DSC_0589.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/18\/DSC_0589.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/18\/DSC_0589.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3115147,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/18\/DSC_0589.jpeg?itok=x4J_Ca3H"}},"678077":{"id":"678077","type":"image","title":"DSC_0658.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;wearable electronic device, developed by Georgia Tech researchers,\u0026nbsp;is made of more than 170 thin, flexible sensors that measure foot pressure \u2014 a key metric for determining whether someone is off-balance.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1758235121","gmt_created":"2025-09-18 22:38:41","changed":"1758235121","gmt_changed":"2025-09-18 22:38:41","alt":"Shoe insert","file":{"fid":"262058","name":"DSC_0658.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/18\/DSC_0658.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/18\/DSC_0658.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1245444,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/18\/DSC_0658.jpeg?itok=MxJTqd2q"}}},"media_ids":["678076","678077"],"groups":[{"id":"660369","name":"Matter and Systems"},{"id":"66220","name":"Neuro"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"188084","name":"go-ipat"},{"id":"188087","name":"go-irim"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193658","name":"Commercialization"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETess Malone, Senior Research Writer\/Editor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003Etess.malone@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}