Plantar Type Identification Using Piezoelectric Pressure Sensors

There has been an increased interest in detecting and identifying foot types. Foot plantar type detection has many utilization in various applications including human identification, footwear design, sports performance analysis, and injury prevention, and rehabilitation support systems. Determining plantar type is made possible by defining different anatomical classification of the foot that can be obtained by recording pressure points of the foot contact surface. In order to correctly predict a persons' plantar type, four different anatomical classes of foot were defined, simulated, and tested on a sensors' platform. The proposed system utilizes piezoelectric sensors that record pressure points of a subject's plantar foot. The collected data are processed in order to correctly define the subject plantar type.