IoMT-Based Smart Shoe Design for Flat Feet and Healthy Foot Gait Analysis

Abstract

Flat feet is a condition that negatively affects the quality of life of the person, causing various health problems such as early fatigue, pain in the feet, pressing in, knees bumping, and lower back pain. When flat feet is untreated, it causes various health problems as progress an age such as deformity in the feet and calcification in the waist. Therefore, in order to apply the proper treatment, it is necessary to measure and identify the flatness. Innovative technologies used in health care are called the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). IoMT is based on the principle that the data are collected through numerous sensors, pre-processed from smart devices, transferred through the access points, and analyzed through the server to enhance patients' health. In this study, IoMT-based smart shoes were designed to observe the pressure differences in healthy foot compared to flat feet by the gait trials performed with the insole. In the smart shoe design, three force sensors are placed in the medial and lateral forefoot and rear foot to measure intense pressure on the sole. During the walking test, an accelerometer was used to collect speed data, and a Bluetooth module was used for wireless communication. This smart shoe also designed as an inexpensive alternative to the current motion capture systems.