Toyoda Gosei starts sample shipments of e-Rubber 'Smart Insoles'
Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd has developed “Smart Insoles” with embedded e-Rubber* sensors that may obtain foot pressure data during movement. The company commenced shipping samples of Smart Insoles to a golf school operated by Mizuno Corporation (Mizuno Golf Studio, Ozone Branch) this month.
Smart Insoles are light and durable, and will identify and measure subtle changes in foot pressure with high accuracy by firmly taking benefit of the feature of e-Rubber as a thin, flexible sensor. With the insoles, shifts in bodyweight when swinging a club and other data can be sensed chronologically and displayed on a tablet computer with different color intensities (heat map). This will improve users’ golf form.
A demonstration trial will be conducted alongside the golf school to test the utilization of Smart Insoles. General sales are also planned as functions in the dedicated app are put into include accumulation and analysis of data and other features. Using these insoles, Toyoda Gosei will expand to future services that will assist athletes in a variety of sports to improve.
Toyoda Gosei can be collaborating with companies, municipality agencies, and medical institutions to explore not only sports applications but also applications in the healthcare field such as early detection (preventive medicine) of weakening of the legs with age.
*e-Rubber is a next-generation rubber that moves with electricity. It could become a thin, flexible sensor that can detect even very small weights or as an actuator that reacts instantaneously to voltage fired up and off.
Source: japantoday.com
