Carbon Fiber‐Based Smart Plantar Pressure Mapping Insole System for Remote Gait Analysis and Motion Identification

Abstract

AbstractTraditional approaches for monitoring human gait have severe spatial and temporal restrictions with complex analysis methods and high cost, which are powerless to promote the development of intelligent life involving fitness, sport training, and healthcare. Herein, a portable smart insole system with high spatial resolution and simple manufacturing process to measure plantar pressure distribution anytime, anywhere for gait analysis is proposed. An insole‐shaped array of 104 piezoresistive sensors with highly robust characteristics is assembled, exhibiting a good pressure‐sensing uniformity. The smart insole not only detects the subtle displacement of the center of gravity of the body, but also exhibits a real‐time, high‐resolution thermodynamic diagram of the plantar pressure distribution during human activities. More importantly, the function of motion intelligence identification can be realized by regionalizing and digitizing the whole plantar pressure distribution, achieving an average recognition accuracy of 83.32% among six predefined motions. These results imply that the carbon fiber‐based smart insole can provide an effective approach for convenient gait analysis and motion identification, which has a great potential in the application of future intelligent life.