Smart shoe could help prevent falls among older people

An engineer at the University of Bristol has developed a 'smart shoe' with a sensor insole that provides real-time gait and pressure data to connected devices, and NICE figures show falls are a leading cause of injury death for people aged 75 and older in the UK.

A University of Bristol engineer has developed a "smart shoe" intended to monitor walking patterns and help identify risks that can lead to falls among older people. Falls are a major cause of disability and the leading cause of death from injury in people aged 75 and older in the UK, and NICE estimates treating fall-related injuries costs the NHS more than £2.3 billion a year. The device uses an insole with many tiny sensors and an advanced microchip to provide lab-quality, real-time data about pressure points and balance that can be viewed on a tablet or mobile device. What is known: - The shoes were developed by Dr Jiayang Li, a lecturer in electrical engineering at the University of Bristol, who was prompted by noticing instability in his 89-year-old mentor, Peter Langlois. - The insole contains hundreds of small sensors (reported as 253) that are read simultaneously by a semiconductor microchip to generate images and measures of gait and pressure distribution. - The system runs on a low-voltage battery and is designed to share data with small-screen devices such as phones or tablets so carers or clinicians can view real-time information. Summary: The device is described as a way to produce detailed, real-time gait information that could help carers and health professionals identify balance or pressure issues that sometimes precede falls. Undetermined at this time on when the shoes might be manufactured or become available for wider clinical use.