Lab Website: https://users.wpi.edu/~xhuang/
About the Demo:
1) Technology Description
This technology demo is a self-contained smart insole system designed for all-day functional monitoring of gait and frailty among aging populations. The hardware integrates 16 pressure sensors and a 6-axis IMU within a flexible TPU printed insole, managed by an embedded processor with Wi-Fi and BLE connectivity for wireless data transmission. The edge processor also performs real-time signal processing and machine learning algorithms to classify gait pattern and monitor frailty biomarkers.
2) Attendee Interaction
Attendees will interact with the system through a live gait-tracking app where they can wear the insole and view a real-time heatmap of their foot pressure distribution. The demo will feature a “Digital TUG” test, allowing participants to perform the Timed Up and Go test and immediately see how the embedded processor automatically segments their movement into clinical phases. Furthermore, attendees can explore a daily report to understand how the device tracks functional fluctuations and frailty score.
3) Relation to Frailty Measurement
This system bridges the gap between episodic clinic visits and the reality of a patient’s daily life by providing continuous measurements equivalent to the TUG and SPPB tests. While traditional tests offer only a snapshot, this insole captures habitual gait speed, balance (via Center of Pressure sway), and sit-to-stand transitions throughout the day to detect early signs of frailty or functional decline. By monitoring these “digital biomarkers” longitudinally, the technology identifies subtle changes in stability and mobility that are often missed during high-effort, short-duration hospital assessments.