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Hundreds of diabetics a year could be spared the amputation of a foot if a smart shoe-insole being developed by a local company proves effective.
People with advanced diabetes are at risk of their extremities going numb from nerve damage and have to take great care to ensure they have correctly-fitting shoes. The numbness means foot sores or injuries may go unnoticed, becoming ulcerated or infected, leading to amputation.
The new device, being developed by Auckland-based Zephyr Technologies, working with AUT University and a leading American podiatry college, is an insole containing sensors to measure temperature and pressure on the foot.
It is connected to an electronic device clipped to the side of a shoe which transmits the data to a cellphone. Using special software, the cellphone can sound an alarm to tell of a potential ulcer.
"It helps monitor the person and recommends what they should do," Zephyr chief executive Brian Russell said last night. "That would mainly be to take the weight off their feet for a certain amount of time. We expect that to stop most ulcers occurring."
The company expects about 85 per cent of the amputations performed on diabetics could be prevented by use of the device.
Diabetic ShoePod is a development of the company's pressure-measuring insoles and smart-fabric "bio-harness" that gather data on the likes of heart beat, breathing rate and temperature. Both are used by elite athletes and researchers.
Zephyr expects to start selling the devices by October next year. The price was as yet unknown but would probably be "in the hundreds of dollars".
