AI-powered shoes

Researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have developed an AI-powered, smart insole that instantly turns any shoe into a portable gait-analysis laboratory. The smart insole can deliver real-time data on the length, speed, and power of a wearer's stride with better accuracy than existing foot-worn technologies—and at a fraction of the cost of traditional laboratory equipment.

The work, reported in January 2020 issue of IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, could benefit clinical researchers by providing a new way to precisely measure walking function in patients with movement disorders or musculoskeletal injuries, in their living environments. The technology could also lead to significant advances for athletes, by helping them improve their running technique.

The team's SportSole technology uses accelerometers and gyroscopes to monitor its own movement and orientation in space, and an array of force sensors to detect plantar pressure, allowing it to capture 500 readings per second—around a fivefold improvement over smart pedometers and other wearable gait-analysis tools.

Read more at Tech Xplore

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