RT Journal Article
T1 Polymer Optical Fiber Plantar Pressure Sensors: Design and Validation
A1 Safarloo, Sahar
A1 Nuñez Cascajero, Arantzazu
A1 Sánchez Gómez, Rubén
A1 Vázquez García, María Carmen
AB The proper measurement of plantar pressure during gait is critical for the clinical diagnosisof foot problems. Force platforms and wearable devices have been developed to study gait patternsduring walking or running. However, these devices are often expensive, cumbersome, or haveboundary constraints that limit the participant’s motions. Recent advancements in the quality ofplastic optical fiber (POF) have made it possible to manufacture a low-cost bend sensor with a noveldesign for use in plantar pressure monitoring. An intensity-based POF bend sensor is not onlylightweight, non-invasive, and easy to construct, but it also produces a signal that requires almostno processing. In this work, we have designed, fabricated, and characterized a novel intensity POFsensor to detect the force applied by the human foot and measure the gait pattern. The sensors wereput through a series of dynamic and static tests to determine their measurement range, sensitivity,and linearity, and their response was compared to that of two different commercial force sensors,including piezo resistive sensors and a clinical force platform. The results suggest that this novelPOF bend sensor can be used in a wide range of applications, given its low cost and non-invasivenature. Feedback walking monitoring for ulcer prevention or sports performance could be just one ofthose applications.
PB MDPI AG
SN 1424-3210
YR 2022
FD 2022-05
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10016/34977
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10016/34977
LA eng
NO This research was partially funded by Research and Innovation Programme from Communityof Madrid SINFOTON2-CM (S2018/NMT-4326), and by FSE/FEDER funds, Spanish ResearchAgency under grant RTI2018-094669-B-C32, Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Universities undergrant FJCI-2017-31677.
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RD 27 jul. 2024