Capacitive Sensors Array for Plantar Pressure Measurement Insole fabricated with Flexible PCB

Abstract

Diabetic foot is a pathology associated with diabetic neuropathy, where the vast majority of diabetic foot infections terminate in surgical intervention; from debridement to amputation of the involved limb. Commonly, diabetic foot infections come from ulceration produced by high-pressure areas under the foot. For this reason, researchers have been working on a continuous measurement system to detect the high-pressure areas in-shoe in a low cost way. This paper presents the design and implementation of a continuous monitoring device to measure the pressure in-shoe. The pressure sensors are built from commercial flexible PCB and a dielectric sheet. The system measures the pressure distribution in 8 points and sends the information by a wireless Bluetooth link to a personal computer and gives information to the patient in real time.