I'm trying to figure out if it is feasible to put strategically placed pressure sensors in the insole of a shoe.
The idea is to monitor weight distribution on various parts of the foot, such as under the heel, ball of the foot, and outside edge, to make sure weight is distributed the way it should be, and to monitor throughout the day, as someone becomes fatigued, making sure they still are distributing weight correctly.
It seems simple, however I'm having trouble figuring out what types of sensors to use, and if they exist and are affordable. Just hoping for some sort of pressure sensor that is flat, and can read up to perhaps 100lbs each, but won't break if the load is exceeded. The idea is the load will be spread across multiple sensors so they don't need to read the full person's weight, however if the person inadvertently stomps or something, don't want them to break. Does such a sensor exist for an affordable price?
Smart Shoes ? Interesting.
Sure it's possible but you have have to design an insert with small connector or cable coming out that you can plug into the system. You have to have a laminated insert with load cells throughout and some way to integrate them all . You might be able to multiplex the analog signals going to the preamp because the arduino couldn't measure unamplifed signals. Maybe multiple wheatstone bridges of one with multiplexed inputs. the pre-amp could be made very small using surface mount and a tiny pcb
with some kind of connector.
I think the wiring for me would likely be the easy part. Trying to find out if there are sensors small enough to comfortably fit in a shoe is where I'm struggling.
I searched for some "load cells". They seem rather large, and/or thick in general though. Also had searched for various other terms like "pressure sensor", "weight sensor". Didn't find much promising, maybe I'm searching wrong, or maybe a flat, low profile sensor doesn't really exist..