A newly invented shoe that senses information about the wearer’s gait and could be the answer to improving balance and preventing falls among the elderly, has been presented to industry experts by an engineer from the UK’s University of Bristol.
Researcher, Dr Jiayang Li, developed the footwear when he noticed how unsteady his 89-year-old mentor, Peter Langlois, was on his feet. “His mind remains extremely sharp and his dedication is so inspiring,” Li said, but explained: “One day I noticed he was unsteady on his feet and almost lost his balance. It got me thinking this is very risky and could have terrible consequences if it resulted in a fall, especially for people who live alone. Then I wondered if the semiconductor technology we’re working on might actually be able to help.”
Stemming from Li’s previous work on developing lung function sensors to monitor patients’ breathing, the new shoe’s insole is fitted with hundreds of tiny sensors that provide accurate, real-time data about the wearer’s way of walking and holding themselves. Thanks to an advanced microchip or semiconductor, able to monitor all 253 of the shoe’s sensors at the same time, the information generates images of the wearer’s feet including pressure points and balance monitoring.
With power consumption of just 100 microwatts, the device can operate for around three months without recharging and be run from a low-voltage battery. The results can then be sent to a device such as a tablet or mobile phone, making the measurements available in everyday, domestic settings and reducing the need for travel to hospitals or clinics to obtain diagnostics.
“Mapping their leg gestures in detail could detect risk of falls, helping people like Peter stay safe while also keeping their independence at home,” Li said. “Although this highly detailed analysis could be obtained in hospital, the challenge was to make the technology more mobile and accessible in everyday life. That’s what makes our shoe so special and such a huge leap forward.”
Keeping elderly people mobile and independent for longer is a major worldwide healthcare challenge. The World Health Organisation estimates that 37.3 million falls severe enough to require medical attention occur globally among older adults every year. Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths, with an estimated 684,000 individuals dying from falls annually.
Li’s shoe recalls another invention in 2024 from researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). A system called WalkON was integrated into a pair of robotic shorts with “a compact and lightweight tendon-driven design, using a controller based on natural leg movements to autonomously assist leg propagation,” a paper published in Nature magazine at the time said, offering a potential breakthrough for people with additional mobility needs and bringing closer “a future in which assistive technologies empower humans to achieve exceptional feats, even in old age.”
