A wearable, self-sustainable, and wireless plantar pressure and temperature monitoring system for foot ulceration prognosis and rehabilitation

Continuous foot temperature and pressure monitoring are desirable for prevention and care of foot health conditions such as Diabetic foot ulceration (DFU). However, monitoring these parameters simultaneously is complex, and mostly rely on sensors with undisrupted power supply integration. Herein, we propose high-performance self-sustainable smart footwear capable of monitoring foot pressure and temperature at various locations for real-time applications. The footwear consists of three modules of an integrated electromagnetic generator (EMG) and triboelectric (TENG) self-powered pressure sensors operated by very elastic 3D printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) springs formed by stacking circular plates that allow TENG pressure sensors to be embedded within. Additionally, Laser-induced graphene (LIG) temperature sensors are used for monitoring foot temperature. The embedded EMG can deliver high output power during various activities: walking (38 mW), running (154 mW), and jumping (75 mW), sufficient to power signal processing and transmission circuitries for wireless monitoring of foot temperature and pressure. TENG-based pressure sensors and LIG temperature sensors (LTS) embedded in this design allow mapping of foot pressure (0.2 V/kPa at 1 Hz) and foot temperature (0.55 Ω °C−1) continuously. Finally, footwear was assembled successfully to demonstrate wireless self-sustainable multisensory smart footwear for monitoring foot pressure and temperature to prevent and rehabilitate diabetic foot ulcers.

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