How An Intelligent Sock Can Improve Running Style

Painful feet are often based on a one-sided weight load. Very few people notice anything of this when they run. This is where the “smart sock” comes in, which was developed by the Professorship of Sports Equipment at TU Chemnitz in cooperation with the textile manufacturer Lindner: “The electronics of the sock that we manufacture measure the pressure distribution and acceleration at the foot. This allows conclusions to be drawn about parameters such as one-sided loading,”explains Prof. Dr. Stephan Odenwald.

App warns of overload in real time

Together with his colleagues Markus Hill and Maja Neubert, he created the electronics and programmed the associated app: "Our app has a graphical user interface that displays processed data in real time on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets," says Odenwald. In this way, users can see exactly which foot area is being loaded and how much. If there is an overexertion, the app sounds an alarm. Sensors also measure air humidity and temperature. This opens up fields of application in pain and accident therapy, but also in competitive and leisure sports. Medical applications are also conceivable, for example in the field of rehabilitation and diabetology.

The data is comparatively accurate and extensive, because it can be recorded continuously over a long period of time and in various everyday situations. A stay in a medical facility is not necessary. "Compared to measurement methods in or on the shoe, our solution offers the advantage that the wearer can even use the sensor technology barefoot, since shoes are not necessary for detection," explains Odenwald. For this to work, the electronics have to be robust and fit snugly on the foot. To this end, the textile manufacturer Lindner developed its own process by which the sensor system is embedded between two textile layers like a sandwich. In addition, a gel insert prevents slipping.

The potential of the smart sock from Saxony was also confirmed by experts at Medica 2016, the trade fair for medical technology and electromedicine: "The applications presented convinced the visitors," says Odenwald. Now the smart sock is to be brought to market. (kj)