Smartfoam measures impact and pressure through a generated electric response, giving feeling to everyday products such as Beds, shoes, helmets, and even martial arts chest protectors. The mechanics of human movement provide a unique and remarkably revealing window into the human body. Accurate and precise description of human movement can provide invaluable information regarding a wide variety of
issues; e.g., athletic ability, joint health, culture, and even mood. Unlike any other insole that has been manufactured up to this point in time, our insole can accurately and precisely measuring specific characteristics of ground reaction force (GRF; 3D components and center of pressure) that can be used to provide valuable information in countless out-of-lab environments. When connected to an appropriate app and smart phone, or watch, our insole can be used to perform important tasks; e.g., accurately measuring and recording caloric expenditure (obesity is now at epidemic levels in our country and is a major cause of poor health), identifying and then retraining movement patterns that are detrimental to lower-extremity musculoskeletal health (knee osteoarthritis now affects nearly 30 million individuals), or evaluating a training activity that has been designed to improve athletic performance via the increase of vertical and/or horizontal GRF (there is now tremendous demand for technology that can provide a competitive edge in various athletic pursuits).
