SBIR Phase I: SBIR Phase I:Autonomous Balance-Enhanced Insert for Footwear

这一小型企业创新研究(SBIR)项目的广泛影响/商业潜力将有助于开发一种新型的增强平衡的鞋垫，以防止高危老年人口跌倒。跌倒是致命伤害的主要原因，也是老年人与创伤相关的住院最常见的原因。每年，每四名65岁以上的美国人中就有一人摔倒，到2020年，老年人摔倒造成的经济负担预计将达到670亿美元。因此，引入智能鞋垫可能会显著减轻医疗保健系统的经济负担。它还将使老年人在日常生活活动中实现最大程度的独立。拟议的鞋垫还将满足运动鞋行业减少脚踝扭伤事件的关键需求。新的智能平衡增强鞋垫的开发将可能带来制造鞋垫的新制造技术，这种鞋垫可以在没有刺激和习惯性影响的情况下改善平衡。这项SBIR创新有可能向市场推出一种安全、可靠、成本效益高、易于制造和分销的鞋垫。这个SBIR第一期项目建议开发一种新型的鞋垫，以便于适当和及时地对人的S的动作做出反应，以便在行走或站立时保持良好的平衡。足底是一张测力图？人类平衡控制的能力。当体重移到离足底边界太近的地方时，就会失去平衡。及时向中枢神经系统(CNS)提供有关此类运动的信息对于平衡控制至关重要。利用含有粘性流体的微细胞系统，建议的插入物会触发鞋垫周围区域突起的瞬间上升，以响应压力的突然增加，从而兴奋向中枢神经系统报告的机械感受器。这种平衡增强的解决方案适时地提供了皮肤机械感受器敏感性的局部放大，但没有现有纹理鞋垫的副作用。缺点包括足底永久性不适和刺激，导致鞋底躯体感觉系统脱敏。主要研究目标包括：嵌件的工程设计；满足性能目标的材料研究；确定未来批量生产的制造商；创建测试框架以确保根据所需规范的性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project will contribute to development of a novel Balance-Enhancing Footwear Insert for preventing falls in the high risk elderly population. Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries and the most common reason for trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. One in every four Americans over age of 65 falls each year, and the financial burden from the falls in the elderly is expected to reach $67B by 2020. Therefore, introduction of a smart insole might significantly reduce the financial burden for the Medical Care System. It will also allow the elderly population to achieve maximum independence in the activities of daily living. The proposed insole will also address the critical needs of the athletic shoe industry to reduce the incidents of ankle sprains. The development of the new smart balance?enhancing insole, which improves balance without irritation and habituation effects will likely lead to new fabrication techniques for manufacturing insoles. This SBIR innovation has the potential to introduce to the market a safe, reliable and cost-effective insole that could be easily manufactured and distributed. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop a novel insole to facilitate proper and timely response to a person?s movements in order to maintain good balance while walking or standing. The plantar sole is a ?dynamometric map? of human balance control. The loss of balance occurs when the body weight is shifted too close to the plantar sole boundary. The timely information to the Central Nervous System (CNS) about such movements is critical for balance control. The proposed insert, with a system of microcells containing viscous fluid, triggers instantaneous rise of protrusions around the insole perimeter area in response to the sudden increase of pressure that excites the mechanoreceptors reporting to the CNS. Such a balance-enhancing solution provides well-timed regional amplification of cutaneous mechanoreceptor sensitivity but without the side effects of the existing textured insoles. The shortcomings include permanent discomfort and irritation in the plantar sole, which results in desensitization of the sole somatosensory system. The main research objectives include: Engineering design of the insert; research of materials to meet the performance goals; identification of the manufacturers for future mass production; creating testing frameworks to insure performance according to the required specifications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.