A New Automatic Foot Arch Index Measurement Method Based on a Flexible Membrane Pressure Sensor

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Medical Instrumentation
• Digital Image Processing

Background:

• The foot arch index is crucial for evaluating foot health and biomechanics.
• Manual measurement methods are inefficient and slow.
• A need exists for automated, accurate foot arch assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an automatic foot arch index measurement method.
• To overcome the limitations of manual measurement techniques.
• To improve the efficiency and speed of foot arch assessment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a flexible membrane pressure sensor to capture plantar pressure data.
• Converted pressure data into digital images for analysis.
• Employed the 8-neighborhood correlation pixel method for noise reduction.
• Applied the row element association algorithm to isolate foot sole data.
• Automated foot length and foot arch index calculation based on pressure distribution.

Main Results:

• Successfully developed a prototype for automatic foot arch index measurement.
• Demonstrated accurate and rapid classification of high arch, flat, and normal feet.
• Verified the feasibility and validity of the proposed method through testing.

Conclusions:

• The proposed automatic method offers an efficient and accurate alternative to manual foot arch index measurement.
• This technology has the potential to significantly improve the assessment of foot health and biomechanics.
• The developed system provides a reliable tool for distinguishing different foot arch types.