Smart Shoes for Assisting People: A Short Survey

Summary

Lately smart shoes have also become a kind of a fashion for the general public and athletes. However, leggs and feet diseases are more common problems among elderly people as time progresses and to those with certain feet disabilities [1], so smart shoes may offer some comfort to their situation. In particular people with osteoarthritis suffer for movement of the cartilage in a joint wears away over time causing bones to rub against each other [2]. In addition, arthritis is the leading cause of disability for the elderly in the United States of America [2]. Thus, a cause of osteoarthritis is mainly from poor gait, otherwise known as walking patterns, where there is unevenly distributed pressure across the foot while walking. This leads to development of severe pain in the knees over time which progressively gets worse. The uneven wear and tear to the knee cartilage is the specific cause of Osteoarthritis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 50 million adults have been diagnosed with Arthritis, i.e., approximately 1 in 5 adults ( C for Disease Control and Prevention, “Arthritis national statistics,” 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/national-statistics.html). The CDC also predicts that by 2040, more than 78 million people will be diagnosed with Arthritis ( C for Disease Control and Prevention, “Arthritis national statistics,” 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/national-statistics.html).