NWA- Idea Generator project; can cheap “smart” shoes check the gait of Parkinson's patients?

Dr. Ajay Kottapalli of ENTEG has received 50,000 euros from the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA) programme: Idea Generator. Projects from this programme are characterised by their innovative nature and possible impact on society.

In this project, Dr. Ajay Kottapalli proposes to implement innovative low-cost, soft polymer sensorized shoe-soles into sports shoes which when worn can monitor the pressure profile under the foot generated by the walking gait of a human. Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple sclerosis, and stroke are classified as neurodegenerative age-related disorders, all of which cause deterioration of gait, including key symptoms such as shuffling gait, freezing and impaired balance. The proposed wearable sensorized shoes can be used by the patient at hospital or at home and provide valuable information which allows understanding of the individualized gait profile and deterioration over time. The real-time temporal gait information procured from the sensorized shoes leads to objective and quantitative evaluation of 1. Parkinson’s gait and patient personalized gait deterioration with disease progression, 2. Effectiveness of recovery through rehabilitation treatments, 3. Enable mitigation strategies to avoid fall through active biofeedback. Dr. Ajay Kottapalli will work together with the societal stakeholder in the proposal, Paramedisch Centrum voor Reumatologie en Revalidatie (PCRR) Hilberdink to test the sensorized wearable shoes at their rehabilitation center.