Pressure mapping system for podiatric applications
Florian Pistritu1, Marin Gheorghe2*, M.P. Suchea1,3* , Octavian Narcis Ionescu1,4*
1 National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies - IMT Bucharest, 126A, Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190, Voluntari-Bucharest, ROMANIA;
2 NANOM MEMS SRL, Strada George Cosbuc 9, Rasnov, 505400 Brașov, Romania
3 Center of Materials Technology and Photonics, School of Engineering, Hellenic
Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Crete, Greece;
4 Automation, Computers and Electronics Department, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, 100680, Romania
Abstract:
The present work reports on the realization of a pressure mapping system for podiatric applications, realized with piezoresistive flexible pressure sensors. The flexible pressure sensor has in its component an elastomeric substrate (obtained from PDMS Sylgard 184 PDMS + 5% aerogel powder) and a flexible substrate made of Kapton. On the Kapton substrate a meander resistor was printed by screen-printing technology. To obtain the pressure mapping system, a number of 12 pressure sensors were integrated on a flexible insole. The signal provided by the pressure sensors is picked up by the signal electronics block, and from here transmitted to an Arduino MEGA R3 module for taking and storing the data read from the sensors. The stored information, by the Arduino MEGA R3 module, will be used to create a map of the pressure distribution at the sole of the foot. Based on this map, podiatrists can find out the posture of a subject, and in the future, also the way of moving.
Acknowledgments: IMT’s contribution was partially supported by PNRR/2022/C9/MCID/I8 CF23/14 11 2022 contract 760101/23.05.2023 financed by the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization in “Development of a program to attract highly specialized human resources from abroad in research, development, and innovation activities” within the – PNRR-IIIC9-2022 - I8 PNRR/2022/Component 9/investment 8 and partially supported by the Romanian Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalisation through the μNanoEl, Cod: 23 07 core Programme.
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