To prevent diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), research scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) have developed footwear technology that relieves pressure on areas of the feet that experience high stress during walking and other activities. The technology was developed in partnership with the University of North Texas Health Science Center.
The removable shoe insole, designed by Muthu Wijesundara, PhD, principal research scientist and head of the Division of Biomedical Technologies at the UTA Research Institute (UTARI), and his team relieves stress by periodically regulating and redistributing pressure across all areas of the foot. Using fluid-filled cells, the dual-layer apparatus provides variability in a person’s foot-loading patterns to reduce prolonged pressure to any given area. The insole can automatically adjust and is designed to accommodate people of various weights. In addition, the insole can be substituted for a total contact cast during the healing of a foot ulcer, and it can provide gait and ground force analysis.
