Abstract

The distribution of the pressure between the sole of a feet and a supporting surface can reveal the information about the structure and fonction of the foot and the posural control of the whole body. In particular, the measurement of the vertical contact forces between the plantar surface of the foot and the shoe insole is of great importance to reveal the loading distributio patterns incurred from a particular shoe midsole design. In order to investigate the plantar surface pressure distribution, an insole-type sensor with a piezoelectric material is developed and tested. The present paper describes a new method to completely reduce both the shear force and pyroelectric effects that are normally caused from piezoelectric materials.

Keywords