Implementation of a Film Sensor-Based Foot Pressure Measurement and Analysis System for Diagnosis and Monitoring of Flat Feet (Pes Planus)

This study aimed to design, calibrate, and conduct a pilot clinical validation of a microcontroller-based, portable, wearable smart insole system incorporating flexible carbon-loaded polymer-film sensors for use in the diagnosis and follow-up of flatfoot (pes planus). Flexible sensor nodes manufactured in accordance with EU size 36 foot morphology were continuously synchronized with the microcontroller architecture and an integrated datalogger layer. The accuracy of the developed 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) calibration model and cumulative signal-filtering algorithms was tested during static stance and dynamic gait phases in a pathological case with unilateral medial arch collapse, as well as in healthy participants and patients with postural deformities. The pedobarographic pressure maps generated by the system were found to demonstrate complete agreement and strong correlation with the outputs of a gold-standard clinical baropodometric reference device (Medicapteurs™). The findings confirm that the developed integrated system provides an accurate, accessible, and usable alternative for mobile clinical measurements.