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Abstract

Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing has opened the door to an endless amount of opportunities, including recent advances in conductive and resistive circuit printing. Taking advantage of these new technologies, we have designed a 3D printed insole with embedded plantar pressure sensor arrays. The customizable aspect of 3D printing allowed us to uniquely design a multitude of sensors. With the use of a dual extrusion printer we were able to produce a model that printed both the resistive circuit and complete insole simultaneously. These distinctive technologies have given us the capability to capture valuable pressure data from the sole of the foot. Analog signals sent from the pressure sensor arrays are received and processed through an attached multiplexer designed specifically for this application. The signal is then digitized and transmitted over the SPI transfer protocol to a processor and wirelessly communicated, via Bluetooth Low Energy, to a mobile android device to allow the user to easily record and interpret the array's pressure data in real-time. The android device houses a pressure mapping view to show the gradient of force throughout the insole. With the capabilities of this insole we have provided an avenue for physicians and physical therapists to gather quantifiable insight into their patient's progression throughout the rehabilitation process. With more intelligent and personalized data the applications of this technology are countless.

Publication Date

2017

Keywords

3D-Printed, Embedded, Sensors, Insole

Disciplines

Engineering

Faculty Advisor/Mentor

Dr. Hong Zhao

Faculty Advisor/Mentor

Dr. Weijun Xiao

VCU Capstone Design Expo Posters

Rights

© The Author(s)

Date of Submission

May 2018

3D Printed Embedded Force Sensors

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