A smart and sustainable shoe inlay
Sole Sensors (SOLES) was a joint effort between SAL’s research unit Advanced Sensors & Electronics Technologies and Saphenus Medical Technology GmbH that successfully ended with a functional demonstrator in April 2024. The project goal was to develop a sensor sheet with the required pressure sensors integrated into a shoe sole provided by Saphenus.
Within the scope of SOLES, the project team developed technologies to print sensors directly onto shoe soles using additive manufacturing, thus decreasing material loss and enabling a more sustainable production that will allow for mass production in the future.
These sensors make it possible to analyze and measure a person’s gait, foot positioning, weight distribution or sore spots. This data can then come in handy for physiotherapy, orthopedics or sports medicine and will allow doctors to tailor soles and shoes to their patients’ precise needs. These solutions will be especially beneficial for patients with polyneuropathy who suffer from reduced sensations in their feet, thus making them more susceptible to unnoticed injuries and wounds. Additionally, the insoles can aid individuals with foot prostheses, offering feedback on ground contact among other things and improving the walking experience.
Project leader Tutku Bedük on the success of SOLES
“I am really proud to say that SOLES attracted a lot of attention inside and outside of Austria – we got a lot of requests from pressure sensing companies who wanted to gain our knowledge. The project has come to an end now, but it opened up many opportunities for follow-up endeavors. One company, for example, has approached us wanting to implement our insoles for underwater shoes for hydrotherapy, which would be an interesting new research focus! Winning the KWF Innovation and Research Award was really the cherry on top of everything”, says Tutku Bedük, Scientist for Advanced Sensors & Electronics Technologies.
The project team received the KWF Innovation Award in May 2024, with Tutku Bedük, Mani Teja Vijjapu, Emily Bezerra and Sherjeel Khan from the project team present at the award ceremony in Villach. Congratulations to everyone!
