Abstract
In this paper, a novel fiber-optic sensing system based on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) to measure foot plantar pressure is proposed. This study first explores the Pedar-X insole foot pressure types of the adult-size chart and then defines six measurement areas to effectively identify four foot types: neutral foot, cavus foot, supinated foot and flat foot. The plantar pressure signals are detected by only six FBGs, which are embedded in silicone rubber. The performance of the fiber optic sensing is examined and compared with a digital pressure plate of i-Step P1000 with 1024 barometric sensors. In the experiment, there are 11 participants with different foot types to participate in the test. The Pearson correlation coefficient, which is determined from the measured results of the homemade fiber-optic plantar pressure system and i-Step P1000 plantar pressure plate, reaches up to 0.671 (p < 0.01). According to the measured results from the plantar pressure data, the proposed fiber optic sensing system can successfully identify the four different foot types. Measurements of this study have demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed system so that it can be an alternative for plantar pressure detection systems.
Highlights
Not all feet are naturally identical since the human foot includes a lot of bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments
The human foot can be classified into five types: flat foot, neutral foot, pronated foot, supinated foot and cavus foot [1,2,3]
If the ball and heel of the footprint are connected by a thin strip on the outside or no strip at all, this is a cavus foot
Summary
Not all feet are naturally identical since the human foot includes a lot of bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The flat foot is a postural deformity, in which the arch of the foot collapses on the entire sole of the foot, having complete or near-complete contact with the ground. This foot type needs extra support in the arch region to maintain a neutral gait and to dispel the shock of running [2,6,7]. If the ball and heel of the footprint are connected by a thin strip on the outside or no strip at all (see Figure 1c), this is a cavus foot This foot type needs the most assistance with shock absorption, since the rigid structure is unable to dispel impact forces very well
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