Role

Build Studio Engineer

Timeframe

September-December 2018

Skills

Materials Research

3D CAD

Mold Design

Experiment design

User Testing

Smart Insoles was my second project in Generate. The client for this project was an Indian entrepreneur who had found a new way to develop shoes for the elderly that were stylish but also provided adequate support and protection. He had recently come across peer-reviewed research that suggested that sub-sensory white noise vibrations applied to the sole of the foot could help prevent diabetic neuropathy in diabetic and pre-diabetic patients. The client saw an opportunity here to use this technology in his products and enable its widespread adoption amongst his user base, a large percentage of whom suffer from diabetic neuropathy.

The mechanical design of this project largely boiled down to research on materials. All the materials in the insole had to strike a balance of being rigid and durable enough to protect the electronic components and hold them at specific points on the sole but also soft and pliable enough to flex with the foot while walking and be comfortable for the user. I was primarily focused on the materials selection for the project. After lots of testing and research I landed on a combination of different hardness foams and silicones stacked in a layered construction.

This project was significant to me because, as the second healthcare-based project I worked on for generate, it made me realize that this is how I wanted to leverage my love of both biology and product design; building healthcare products that are accessible to consumers. These products have the ability to make tremendous impact but are also can be made widely available. The depth and significance of that impact from a product is something that I aspire to work on in the future.

The Product

• The client presented us with academic research that suggested that sub sensory white noise vibrations could help patients with diabetic neuropathy prevent nerve damage.

• We were asked to attempt to build a functional prototype that could demonstrate that this research could prove to be a viable product in the form of an insole

Design Steps

• Performed materials research to determine optimal balance of protection of electronic and comfort for the insoles

• Designed layout of piezo buzzers and electronics packaging using CAD software

• Used CAD to create mold for insole

• Molded silicone insole

• Tested designs both qualitatively and quantitatively to then interate on mold design and device design

• Investigated injection molding of silicone

Challenges

• There was a lot to learn regarding the silicone molding/casting process.

  • To eliminate air bubbles we quickly realized that the most feasible option would be to use a degassing chamber and a vacuum pump. 

  • Had to pay more attention to curing conditions of the silicone to make sure it fully set