Imagine an insoles that would fix all your balance issues and prevent falls?
Ingenious Soles are designed to prevent falls, track gait, and analyze trends for its user.
Globally a meta analysis of 104 studies(36.7 million older adults) estimated an annual fall prevalence of 26.5%.
Approximately, 28% of individuals over 65 years old reported a fall within the last year. This account for approximately 8.4 million resulted in injuries.
In the United State alone, the total cost of falling injuries for people 65 and older was $80 billion in 2020.
Brief Paragraph about Lucida's idea and development
This insole proposes a low-cost, sensor-based prosthetic insole system that actively monitors and corrects balance in real time. The design integrates independent air bladders (toe and sides of the foot) that inflate or deflate automatically based on sensor feedback to maintain stability and comfort. Pressure and motion are detected using force-sensitive resistors (FSRs) and are controlled by a microcontroller linked to a micro air pump and pressure valves.
About Lucida Chen
Lucida Chen is a senior at The International School of San Francisco. She spends most of her time outside of school figure skating, creating art pieces with different medias, and cooking new recipes. In the future, she hopes to pursue industrial design to help enhance the well-being of people. While walking home in Taipei, Lucida noticed how people made space for the elderly, an act of respect that stayed with me. That moment inspired her idea for smart insoles, designed to improve balance and prevent falls. More than just technology, they are a representation of empathy and protection for our communities.
