On May 7th, it was learned from Lanzhou University that a joint team composed of professors Lan Wei and Jin Zhiwen from the School of Physical Science and Technology, as well as Professor Li Jinghua from Ohio State University in the United States, has successfully developed a highly integrated, self powered, wireless intelligent insole that can achieve real-time monitoring of plantar pressure and accurate recognition of multiple exercise states. The relevant research results were recently published in the international journal "Scientific Advances". Walking and running may seem simple, but they actually contain important information about one's physical condition. Gait can reflect the body's movement status, health level, and potential risk of illness. ”Lan Wei said that for example, if elderly people have unstable gait when walking, it may be a signal of physical problems. Long term gait abnormalities in young people after exercise may indicate sports injuries. Gait monitoring can not only be used for early screening and evaluation of diseases such as heart failure, Parkinson's disease, and stroke, but also for posture correction and fall warning. Foot pressure monitoring is an important component of gait monitoring, providing data support for gait monitoring. Plantar pressure monitoring focuses on collecting pressure data generated when the sole comes into contact with the supporting surface, which intuitively reflects the force distribution and pressure changes of the foot during movement, and is an important basis for judging whether the gait is normal or not, "said Lan Wei. To achieve plantar pressure monitoring and real-time visual analysis of gait, a joint team has developed an intelligent insole. The insole integrates 22 pressure sensors inside, like building a fine sensing network on the sole of the foot, which can accurately capture every subtle pressure change on the sole. When people walk and move on this insole, the pressure data collected by the sensor will be transmitted in real time to the smartphone end, and through a dedicated application, the complex pressure data will be transformed into intuitive dynamic visualization images. Whether it is the distribution area of plantar pressure or the curve of pressure value over time, they can be presented in front of the user at a glance. In terms of motion state recognition, the research team used a machine learning model based on support vector machines to create a "smart brain" for intelligent insoles. This model is trained on a large amount of exercise data and can accurately identify 8 common exercise states, including sitting, standing, walking, running, jumping, squatting, etc. When the user steps on the smart insole to move, the real-time data collected by the pressure sensor in the insole will be transmitted to the model, which can quickly analyze and process the data to determine the user's current movement status. Lan Wei introduced that in the future, when elderly people go out for a walk, they only need to wear these smart insoles, and their children can view the elderly's gait data in real time through their mobile phones. Once gait abnormalities or the risk of falls in the elderly are detected, the insole will immediately sound an alarm to ensure the safety of the elderly's travel. For young people who love fitness, smart insoles can accurately recognize their running, jumping and other exercise states, analyze the distribution of foot pressure, help them correct incorrect exercise postures, and avoid injuries caused by improper exercise. During the growth process of children, parents can use smart insoles to monitor their gait and detect potential foot problems in a timely manner. To solve the battery life problem of smart insoles, the research team has developed flexible perovskite solar cells. This type of battery is like a thin and lightweight "energy film" that can be attached to the outside of the shoe. It has efficient photoelectric conversion capability, which can quickly convert solar energy into electrical energy under normal lighting conditions, and then store the electrical energy in the lithium battery built into the insole through intelligent circuits. In this way, smart insoles can operate on their own for a long time without frequent charging, completely eliminating dependence on external power sources. (New Society)