Development of a novel biomedical device for shoe traction safety characterization

Abstract

Across workplaces, slip-and-fall accidents occur frequently due to reduced friction at the shoe-floor interaction. However, these events are typically ignored, and the importance of appropriate footwear is frequently overlooked. Mechanical-based slip and fall risk assessment devices are used to evaluate the frictional measurements at the shoe and floor contact. The available devices are however lab-based and have difficulty in replicating the realistic slipping biomechanics. Additionally, the current devices are expensive to be used in lower-middle-income nations. In this study, a biomimetic and cost-effective slip testing device was presented. The performance of the manufactured slip tester was thoroughly validated and examined utilising five formal shoes on three different flooring surfaces in different contaminant conditions. The findings showed that the slip tester effectively distinguished between the combinations of shoes, contaminant, and floorings. It was discovered that the slip tester's performance effectively distinguished between different shoe tread patterns across several slipping combinations.