Mat Based Foot Temperature Monitoring Device for Early Detection of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a serious complication of diabetes and it's early detection is key to prevention. Diabetes alters plantar soft tissue biomechanics by increasing mechanical loading which can leads to ulcers. Along with the traditional screening methods, Plantar pressure and temperature are the parameters to predict and understand DFU in adults. In this study a plantar temperature mat comprising 32 thermistors embedded in EVA (16 per foot) is developed combined with external ADCs and two ESP32 microcontrollers. The data were transmitted wirelessly to a PC for visualization and storage. Ten healthy subjects were tested in the lab on treadmill and the temperatures were recorded before and after activity with both the developed device and an IR thermometer; plantar pressure and estimated calories burned were also collected. The mean temperature difference between device and IR readings was 1.5 °C (~5%), supporting device validity. A moderate, statistically significant positive correlation was observed between plantar temperature and pressure. Left-right regional temperature differences remained below the clinical 2.2 °C threshold. The prototype shows promise for cost-effective DFU screening and it can used in professional healthcare environment.