- Course:Inventor's Studio (Thesis)
- Category:Design Engineering
- Date:May 2014
- Link: PDF Presentation
Vibrasole is a smart insertable shoe insole that helps elderly people monitor and manage their balance while walking & standing through low random vibrations to the sole while also providing comfort and preventative help for diabetic users experiencing foot ulcers through low-level light therapy.
Vibrasole became my senior thesis project through a class called Inventor’s Studio in my last semester at RPI. I learned that by using low random vibrations on the foot where neuron behavior had diminished could help restore a better sense of feeling and therefore more accurate balance and gait. I was able to brainstorm, ideate, design and working prototype of the vibrating insole.
Through the project I learned how to code in Arduino, met with PhD bioengineering professors and conducted user surveys. I created a working prototype that consists of four pressure sensors and vibration motors that actuate on pressure to certain areas of the foot. Vibrasole was an RPI’s Change the World Competition Finalist in Spring 2014 gaining a $1000 grant towards further progress of the invention.
