Imagine a pair of socks that could save diabetics from potentially fatal foot ulcers… Well, we don’t have to seek a solution any longer… it has been invented!
Students associated with Hebrew University’s BioDesign Medical Innovation program, in conjunction with Hadassah Hospital, have developed pressure-sensing socks that are linked to a smartphone application that warns wearers of wounds developing before they can actually feel them.
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Sourced from Gizmag.com
Diabetic neuropathy, a common complication of diabetes, damages the nerves, causing numbness and reduced blood supply. If not successfully treated, resulting ulcers can lead to amputation. Diabetic neuropathy is the number one cause of amputation in the world – and affects as many as 70% of the 30 million-plus people in the US who suffer from diabetes. Diabetics with the condition suffer a loss of sensitivity in nerve endings in their legs and feet – meaning that, since they have less feeling in their feet, they may end up with extensive damage before they realize the problem.
Scientists have known for years that high blood sugar levels can damage nerve endings. Even non-diabetic patients with high blood sugar levels complain of tingling, “pins and needles” or burning sensations in the hands and feet — symptoms associated with neuropathy. The problem, of course, is much more severe in diabetics, who constantly struggle to control their blood sugar levels. For reasons that are not completely clear, neuropathy tends to affect the feet first.
Failure to treat these issues could eventually lead to problems like foot ulcers, sores or wounds that refuse to heal – a special problem for diabetics, whose ability to heal themselves is already compromised because of their blood circulation problems. Once an ulcer develops, even with treatment, irreparable damage may already have occurred.
The machine-washable SenseGo smart sock, officially introduced on January 27, 2016, contains dozens of micro-fabricated pressure sensors. Changes in pressure due to deformities, incorrect posture or ill-fitting shoes are registered as electrical signals that are relayed to a smartphone app, alerting the wearer to the risk. The underlying objective of the sock technology was to find a way to avoid these wounds altogether.
The smart socks solution, including micro sensors, advanced communications and processing in a smartphone are of course only possible with the help of advanced materials. Once again, it shows that Rare Metals Matter!
Until soon… Ian
P.S. As a general note, the intelligent socks are just the latest biomedical innovation to come out of the Hebrew University program. The goal of BioDesign, founded in 2012, is to bring innovations like SenseGo to the marketplace. BioDesign works in partnership with Stanford University and has a multi-disciplinary team-based approach, bringing together medical fellows and business and engineering graduate students.
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