Self -Powered Insole Plantar Pressure Mapping System

Sensitive monitoring and real-time foot pressure mapping have important applications for medical treatment/diagnostics, sports training, and even security. In this work, a facile plantar pressure mapping system with a large pressure detection range using piezoelectric nanogenerators serving as the sensor array to acquire pressure signals, and a self-designed data acquisition (DAQ) circuit board to process and wirelessly send the signals to a mobile terminal, such as a smart phone, are developed. Working with an application program developed in Android, the whole system can accurately monitor and visually display the real-time pressure distribution during walking. More importantly, by combining a hybridized triboelectric-electromagnetic nanogenerator, a self-powered, continuous, and real-time pressure distribution monitoring system is developed, which provides a feasible solution for sport/exercise biomechanics information acquisition, injury prevention, and ulceration prediction in the feet.