Smart Shoe: An Electronic Insole Catches Imbalance Early
By Grifantini, Kristina; Technology Review,Publication Date: October/November 2008
Article features an insole that can detect imbalance in the elderly. Invented by graduate students at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, the iShoe is an insole equipped with sensors that constantly monitor its wearer’s balance and a wireless transmitter which communicates with a computer running balance-analysis software specially developed for the device. The inventors envision elderly people wearing the iShoe as an everyday insole. The iShoe would be queried twice a year during medical checkups; if the device detected poor balance, a physician would look for a cause, such as failing vision, muscle deterioration, or inner-ear problems. The electronic insole could also be paired with visualization software designed to improve balance. Testing of the iShoe with elderly patients was being planned at the time the article was written.
Published by: Technology Review, Inc. (Website:http://www.technologyreview.com)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (Web Site: http://www.mit.edu )
Link to text: http://www.technologyreview.com/article/21500/
