A foot support structure having: a foot support surface for engagement by a foot of a subject; and a tissue loading alleviation zone within the foot support surface, such that the tissue loading alleviation zone defines a region of the foot support surface configured for optimizing an internal tissue loading state in a volume-of-interest (VOI) in said foot of said subject, and the region has at least one mechanical property value that gradually varies along at least one dimension of the region.

A big data artificial intelligence computer system is used for medical care connecting to sensor-equipped smartphones of users of footwear. The footwear has smartphone-connected soles with sensors and configurable structures. The smartphone is also connected to sensors located on the users' body, including proximate to its center of gravity and/or on the head. The web and/or cloud-based computer system is configured to use the big data techniques of machine learning in a database compiled from millions of smartphones to perform operations on billions of data sets from the smartphones of the footwear users. The correlations found from the big data operations provide solutions to medical problems of the footwear users involving their body structure and/or function. The solutions are implemented by configuring the users' footwear soles, including active configuration, including during running and/or walking to optimize corrections to the structure and/or function of their bodies.

This disclosure includes dual-layer insole apparatuses for diabetic foot lesion prevention and related methods. Some insole apparatuses have a body defining a plurality of cavities configured to be coupled to a fluid source such that the fluid source can deliver fluid to vary internal pressures of the cavities, and where the body defines an insole-shaped structure.

Methods and apparatuses for designing custom footwear are disclosed. An apparatus for designing custom footwear may include a data collection system, a data processing system, and a manufacturing system, where the manufacturing system includes an additive manufacturing device. A method for designing custom footwear may comprise receiving user-specific data, generating a user model, identifying issues in the user model, determining corrective features, generating a custom footwear model, and manufacturing the custom footwear.

A fabric-based pressure sensor assembly utilizing in ionic material and conductive material is disclosed. The sensing device can be applied in several various wearable health and biomedical applications on complex body topologies. As an alternative to conventional flexible sensors, the fabric-based sensor assembly yields high device sensitivity and desirable parameters for pressure sensing in a wearable construct. The sensor assembly enables rapid mechanical responses (in the milliseconds range) for high-frequency biomechanical signals, e.g., blood pressure pulses and body movements. The fabrication process for the device is low-cost highly compatible with existing industrial manufacturing processes.

The Overshoe Walking Correctors (OWCs) are a medical walking device to go over a user's feet and shoes and changes the shape in the base of their current walking shoes for correcting gait. They need only be used by the obese and overweight population, who suffer limited mobility in their skeletal joints, due to the burden of weight they are carry on their bodies. The device was designed by Gail McGonigal an Occupational Therapist, who discovered the concept after falling on concrete severely bruising but not breaking her hip, due to a daily intake of oral calcium. She was only able to walk in rocker shoes containing no weight bearing capacity. Gail immediately understood how this concept will help the obese population improve their mobility in gait. She has designed the Overshoe Walking Correctors for all overweight people to wear, so they will feel no more pain in gait. The device is designed to have immediate and positive affects on their health, so the overweight population are encouraged to increase their physical mobility, while reducing the amount of sedentary sitting they perform on a daily basis. The intention is to relieve the pressure on acute medical services in all western populations, where obesity is a leading cause of chronic health issues needing constant attention by the medical practioners in acute care hospitals.

The invention provides bunion corrector footwear. The bunion corrector footwear comprises a bunion corrector that includes a strip of rigid material to support at least two toes. A cushiony gel separator is placed between at least two toes. Further, a metatarsal support attached on the foot wear to support the bunion corrector. The footwear herein will provide support for bunion prevention and also the healing of existing bunions without any surgical intervention.

A foot is configured to map location and size of the ulcerations to treated at the bottom of the foot. First and intermediate insoles are made from including semi-compressed felt. A third sole serving as the base of the device is made from including, but not limited to EVA. A cavity with beveled edges in the first insole is configured to match the location and size of the ulcerations. The first insole, the intermediate insole and the foot with ulcerations are placed in a compression sock which is equipped with a zipper and is detachably attached on the top surface of the third sole. The cavity channels the drainage or extrude from the ulcerations to the intermediate in sole where it is absorbed. The zipper provides comfort to the patient to put on and take off the compression sock with any disturbance to the ulcerations .The compression sock enhances the blood flow in the foot which prompts efficient and quick healing of the ulcerations or chronic wounds.

An insole made of two membrane foils, between which a liquid is provided. The membrane foils have very little elasticity and high stiffness to respond quickly to load by pushing liquid quickly from an area under the foot to another area of the foot, by which the balance response is made faster for a person who uses such insoles. Especially in the field of multiple sclerosis, post-stroke rehabilitation, golf and race have such insoles have proven to be very advantageous.

A system and a method for detecting the wearing by a patient of a foot ulcer offloading apparatus are described. The system includes an electronic geolocation device and a data processing equipment item linked to the electronic geolocation device via a communication network, the electronic geolocation device is suitable for being secured to the offloading apparatus and includes electrical power supply means, geolocation data acquisition means and means for transmitting geolocation data over the communication network to the data processing equipment item. The data transmission means is linked to the acquisition means and data processing equipment item is suitable, following the reception of geolocation data transmitted by the electronic geolocation device, for detecting a movement of the foot ulcer offloading apparatus and for deducing therefrom the wearing by the patient of said offloading apparatus.