US20170231569A1 - Footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user and a method thereof - Google Patents
Footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user and a method thereof Download PDFInfo
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- US20170231569A1 US20170231569A1 US15/083,865 US201615083865A US2017231569A1 US 20170231569 A1 US20170231569 A1 US 20170231569A1 US 201615083865 A US201615083865 A US 201615083865A US 2017231569 A1 US2017231569 A1 US 2017231569A1
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- footwear
- foot
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Definitions
- the present subject matter is related, in general to monitoring foot conditions, and more particularly, but not exclusively to a footwear and a method for monitoring health condition of foot of a user when the user is wearing the footwear.
- foot ulcers there are a numerous foot diseases which are not easily identified and get into a critical condition due to lack of right treatment at the right time.
- An example of such a foot disease is diabetic foot ulcer. Diabetes patients often suffer from diabetic neuropathy which causes numbness and loss of sensation in the toes, feet, legs and palms of the patients. And, as a result, the injury in the foot goes unnoticed and eventually becomes a portal for entry of bacteria and infection. Identifying such foot ulcers at their initial stage helps to avail the right treatment at the right time.
- Gout is a kind of arthritis which can cause an attack of sudden burning pain, stiffness, and swelling in a joint, usually a big toe.
- the most common sign of gout is a nighttime attack of swelling, tenderness, redness, and sharp pain in the big toe.
- the monitoring of foot to identify the deformations/inflammations due to gout helps in availing the right treatment at the right time. Similar principles can be applied to Rheumatoid arthritis and other progressive, degenerative foot diseases.
- the existing arts disclose one or more special apparatus for capturing the images of the foot of the patient to detect the diseases/disorders in the foot.
- the existing arts do not continuously monitor the foot and the progress of the diseases in the foot. Continuous monitoring of the foot is necessary for an early detection and treatment of the diseases/disorders of the foot.
- the existing arts demand additional efforts from the patients in monitoring/detecting the diseases in the foot, thereby causing inconvenience to the patients.
- the issues mainly faced in monitoring health condition of the foot of a user are capturing the images of the foot of the user and continuously monitoring the condition of the foot for timely detection of foot diseases and providing a notification about the detection of the foot disease in real time.
- footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user.
- the footwear is designed to address the one or more foot diseases and/or problems in the foot of the user at an early stage.
- the footwear would periodically capture images of the foot and compare the captured images with historic images of the foot to detect one or more diseases in the foot.
- the footwear would also notify the users and/or care providers of the users whenever it detects a visually identifiable disease in the foot.
- the present disclosure relates to footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user.
- the footwear comprises one or more image capturing devices and a control unit.
- the one or more image capturing devices are placed at predefined locations in the footwear to capture one or more images of the foot of the user, when the user is wearing the footwear.
- the control unit is configured to receive the one or more images from the one or more image capturing devices.
- the control unit compares the one or more captured images with one or more pre-stored images to identify one or more differences between the one or more captured images and the one or more pre-stored images, wherein the one or more pre-stored images are the images of healthy foot of the user.
- control unit Upon comparing the images, the control unit detects health condition of the foot of the user based on the one or more differences in the comparison. Further, the control unit provides a notification about the health condition of the foot to a computing device associated with at least one of the user and one or more care providers of the user.
- the present disclosure relates to a method for monitoring health condition of foot of a user.
- the method comprises capturing one or more images of the foot of the user by one or more image capturing devices placed at predefined locations in the footwear.
- the one or more images are captured when the user is wearing the footwear.
- the one or more images are received from the one or more image capturing devices by a control unit configured in the footwear.
- the one or more captured images are compared, by the control unit, with one or more pre-stored images to identify one or more differences between the one or more captured images and the one or more pre-stored images, wherein the one or more pre-stored images are the images of healthy foot of the user.
- the health condition of the foot of the user is detected based on the comparison.
- a notification is provided to a computing device associated with at least one of the user and one or more care providers of the user, wherein the notification is about the health condition of the foot of the user.
- FIG. 1 shows a detailed block diagram illustrating footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure
- FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a computing device associated with the user and/or one or more care providers of the user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure
- FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show exemplary representations of the footwear in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
- exemplary is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
- the present disclosure relates to footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user.
- the footwear comprises one or more image capturing devices and a control unit.
- the one or more image capturing devices are placed at predefined locations in the footwear to capture one or more images of the foot of the user, when the user is wearing the footwear.
- the control unit is configured to receive the one or more images from the one or more image capturing devices.
- the control unit compares the one or more captured images with one or more pre-stored images to identify one or more differences between the one or more captured images and the one or more pre-stored images, wherein the one or more pre-stored images are the images of healthy foot of the user.
- the control unit detects health condition of the foot of the user based on the one or more differences. Further, the control unit provides a notification about the health condition of the foot of the user to a computing device associated with at least one of the user and one or more care providers of the user.
- FIG. 1 shows a detailed block diagram illustrating footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
- the footwear 101 comprises one or more image capturing devices 103 , a communication unit 107 , a control unit 109 and a memory unit 111 .
- the footwear 101 shall have all the features of any usual footwear 101 . Additionally, the footwear 101 shall accommodate all the components described below, for monitoring the health condition of the foot of the user.
- the one or more image capturing devices 103 capture one or more images of the foot of the user when the user is wearing the footwear 101 .
- the one or more image capturing devices 103 may include, but not limiting to, one or more cameras 103 1 and an image scanner 103 2 .
- the one or more cameras 103 1 are placed inside the footwear 101 at one or more predefined location as shown in FIG. 3 a to capture one or more images of the foot.
- the image scanner 103 2 may be placed and configured in such a way that, the image scanner 103 2 moves below the foot of the user, thereby capturing one or more images of the foot.
- the transparent and/or translucent layer (not shown in FIGS.) placed in the footwear 101 separates the one or more image capturing devices 103 from the foot of the user when the user is wearing the footwear 101 , thereby enabling the one or more image capturing devices 103 to capture one or more images of the foot.
- the light source 105 (shown in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b ) illuminates the foot of the user for enabling the one or more image capturing devices 103 to capture a clear and bright image of the foot.
- the light source 105 may include, without limiting to, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) flash light or a flashcube that may be placed inside the footwear 101 .
- the light source 105 may be synchronized with the one or more image capturing devices 103 for illuminating the footwear 101 only when the one or more image capturing devices 103 are actuated.
- the light source 105 may continuously illuminate the inside portion of the footwear 101 .
- the light source 105 may also illuminate the inside portion of the footwear 101 periodically, for a predetermined time interval.
- the predetermined time interval for illuminating the inside portion of the footwear 101 may be 5 seconds, 10 seconds and etc.
- the light source 105 may illuminate the inside portion of the footwear 101 only when the user is wearing the footwear 101 , thereby reducing the power consumption.
- the communication unit 107 may be configured in the footwear 101 to enable the footwear 101 or the control unit 109 in the footwear 101 to communicate/connect to the computing device 201 associated with the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user.
- the communication unit 107 may include, without limitation, the one or more wireless/air communication interfaces 209 such as, Wireless Local Area Network (LAN), Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
- the communication unit 107 may be used to transfer the one or more captured images 125 and one or more notifications to the computing device 201 .
- control unit 109 is configured to receive the one or more images from the one or more image capturing devices 103 .
- the one or more captured images 125 are compared with one or more pre-stored images 123 to identify one or more differences between the one or more captured images 125 and the one or more pre-stored images 123 .
- the control unit 109 detects the health condition of the foot based on the one or more differences identified in the comparison. Further, the control unit 109 provides a notification about the health condition to the computing device 201 associated with the user or the one or more care providers of the user using the communication unit 107 .
- control unit 109 may include, but not limited to, a receiving module 113 , a transmitting module 115 , a pressure sensing module 117 , a sensory module 119 and one or more other modules 121 .
- the other modules 121 may be used to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of the control unit 109 in the footwear 101 . It will be appreciated that such aforementioned modules may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules.
- the receiving module 113 may be configured to receive one or more inputs, signals and configuration settings from the computing device 201 through the communication unit 107 .
- the configuration settings may include, without limitation, information about the computing device 201 , and information about the user and/or one or more care providers of the user.
- the transmitting module 115 may be configured to transmit one or more data and signals to the one or more modules in the footwear 101 .
- the transmitting module 115 may also transmit one or more images captured by the one or more image capturing device 103 to the computing device 201 using the communication unit 107 .
- the pressure sensing module 117 may be placed at one or more predefined locations inside the footwear 101 to sense the presence of the foot of the user in the footwear 101 .
- the pressure sensing module 117 is communicatively coupled to the control unit 109 and is responsible for actuating the one or more modules in the footwear 101 .
- the pressure sensing module 117 may transmit a control signal to the control unit 109 to actuate each of the one or more image capturing devices 103 and the light source 105 upon detecting the presence of the foot in the footwear 101 .
- the pressure sensing module 117 may also measure the amount of pressure applied by body of the user on the foot and/or the pressure applied by the foot on the footwear 101 and captures the foot movement pattern.
- the sensory module 119 comprises a Photo plethysmography (PPG) sensor 119 1 , an accelerometer 119 2 and a gyroscope 119 3 as shown in FIG. 3 b .
- the PPG sensors 119 1 are placed inside the footwear 101 , such that the PPG sensor 119 1 touches/clamps to the toe of the user.
- the PPG sensor 119 1 is used for optical detection of blood volume changes in the micro-vascular bed of tissue of the user.
- the PPG sensor 119 1 may further comprise a light source and a detector, with infrared (IR) LEDs.
- the PPG sensor 119 1 monitors changes in the light intensity via reflection from or transmission through the tissues of the user.
- the changes in light intensity are associated with small variations in blood perfusion of the tissue and provide information on the cardiovascular system, in particular, the pulse rate of the user.
- the PPG sensors 119 1 are used in the footwear 101 due to their simplified working and their usefulness in monitoring the overall health condition of the user.
- the accelerometer 119 2 may be configured on a predefined location in the footwear 101 for measuring the acceleration of the foot of the user. In an embodiment, the accelerometer 119 2 may also be used to measure/calculate the speed of walking and/or running of the user and to detect abnormalities, if any. In another embodiment, the accelerometer 119 2 can be used to activate the system based on the movement detection.
- the gyroscope 119 3 may be configured on a predefined location in the footwear 101 for measuring the angular velocity of the foot of the user. In an embodiment, the gyroscope 119 3 may also be used to detect and monitor vibrations of the foot inside the footwear 101 .
- the sensory module 119 is used to measure current pressure, foot movement pattern and analyze them with historic data available in the memory and determines the quality of walking pattern.
- the sensory module 119 may also collect and measure heart rate data of the user with the historic data in the memory and provides a comparison analysis for the user.
- the heart rate data may also be used to detect Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and thereby, stress or fatigue levels of the user.
- HRV Heart Rate Variability
- the memory unit 111 stores one or more pre-stored images 123 , one or more captured images 125 of the foot, one or more configuration parameters 127 and other data 129 .
- the data may be stored in the memory unit 111 in the form of various data structures. Additionally, the aforementioned data can be organized using data models, such as relational or hierarchical data models.
- the other data 129 may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by modules for performing the various functions of control unit 109 in the footwear 101 .
- the captured images 125 are the one or more images captured from the one or more image capturing devices 103 .
- the one or more image capturing devices 103 capture the one or more images of the foot of the user when the user is wearing the footwear 101 .
- the light source 105 configured in the footwear 101 illuminates the foot of the user for capturing clear and bright images of the foot.
- the one or more image capturing devices 103 may capture the one or more images of the foot at predetermined time intervals. As an example, the predetermined time interval for capturing the new image of the foot may be 30 minutes.
- the pre-stored images 123 are the one or more images of the foot of the user which are captured when the foot of the user is in a healthy condition or shall act as a reference image, if the foot of the user is already damaged.
- the one or more captured images 125 are compared with the pre-stored images 123 to detect one or more disorders and/or variations in the foot.
- the one or more pre-stored images 123 may be stored in the storage unit 205 of the computing device 201 .
- the control unit 109 transmits the one or more captured images 125 to the computing device 201 through the communication unit 107 .
- the processor 203 of the computing device 201 performs the comparison of the one or more captured images 125 with the pre-stored images 123 to detect one or more disorders in the foot.
- the computing device 201 can be part of the footwear 101 .
- the one or more configuration parameters 127 are used to configure the footwear 101 as per the requirements of the user of the footwear 101 .
- the user may configure the footwear 101 using a configuration port 131 in the footwear 101 .
- the one or more configuration parameters 127 may include, but not limited to, one or more pre-stored images 123 of the foot, information of one or more care providers of the user, information of the computing device 201 and the predetermined intervals for capturing the images.
- the configuration port 131 is used to configure the footwear 101 with one or more configuration parameters 127 listed hereinabove.
- the configuration port 131 may also be used for configuring the communication unit 107 in the footwear 101 .
- the configuration port 131 may be a generic Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, which is also capable of charging a battery 133 in the footwear 101 .
- USB Universal Serial Bus
- the battery 133 may be used to power one or more image capturing devices 103 , the light source 105 and the one or more modules in the control unit 109 .
- the battery 133 may be rechargeable and/or replaceable when it is discharged completely.
- FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a computing device associated with the user and/or one or more care providers of the user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
- the computing device 201 associated with the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user may include, without limitation, a smart phone, a tablet phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a laptop and a personal computer (PC).
- the computing device 201 comprises a processor 203 , a storage unit 205 , I/O interface 207 and a communication interface 209 .
- the computing device 201 is communicatively associated to the footwear 101 and shall be capable of receiving one or more captured images 125 of the foot through the communication unit 107 .
- the computing device 201 may also receive one or more notifications about the health condition of the foot of the user from the footwear 101 .
- the processor 203 of the computing device 201 is capable of performing each of the functions performed by the control unit 109 in the footwear 101 .
- the processor 203 may be connected with one or more input/output (I/O) devices via the I/O interface 207 for displaying the one or more captured images 125 to the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user.
- I/O input/output
- the storage unit 205 may store one or more pre-stored images 123 of the foot of the user.
- the storage unit 205 of the computing device 201 may include, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fibre channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) and the similar.
- the storage unit 205 may also store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, a User Interface (UI) application and an operating system.
- UI User Interface
- the I/O interface 207 may be used to display the one or more captured images 125 , the pre-stored images 123 and the received notifications to the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user.
- the I/O interface 207 may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, Digital Visual Interface (DVI) and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI).
- the communication interface 209 configured in the computing device 201 is capable of connecting to the communication unit 107 of the footwear 101 to receive and/or transmit the one or more captured images 125 , the pre-stored images 123 and the notifications to the footwear 101 .
- the communication interface 209 may also be used to configure the footwear 101 before it is used by the user.
- FIG. 3 b shows exemplary representation of the footwear in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
- the pressure sensing module 117 configured in the footwear 101 measures the amount of pressure applied on the footwear 101 .
- the pressure sensing module 117 transmits a control signal to the control unit 109 upon detecting the presence of the user's foot in the footwear 101 .
- the control unit 109 in response to the control signal from the pressure sensing module 117 , actuates the one or more image capturing devices 103 , the light source 105 and each of the modules in the footwear 101 .
- the one or more image capturing devices 103 (plurality of cameras 103 1 and an image scanner 103 2 are shown in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b ) capture the one or more images of the foot of the user upon actuation from the control unit 109 at predetermined time intervals.
- the light source 105 (not shown in figure) configured in the footwear 101 illuminates the foot of the user in order to capture a clear and bright image of the foot.
- a transparent and/or translucent layer in the footwear 101 separates the one or more image capturing devices 103 and the light source 105 from the foot of the user when the user is wearing the footwear 101 .
- control unit 109 compares the one or more captured images 125 with one or more pre-stored images 123 to identify one or more differences between the one or more captured images 125 and the one or more pre-stored images 123 .
- the one or more pre-stored images 123 are the images of the healthy foot of the user.
- the control unit 109 further detects the health condition of the foot of the user based on the one or more differences identified during the comparison.
- the detected health condition of the foot is notified to the computing device 201 associated with the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user through the communication unit 107 .
- the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user may take necessary medical treatments if there are any disorders/diseases in the foot.
- the one or more captured images 125 may be transmitted to the computing device 201 through the communication unit 107 configured in the footwear 101 .
- the computing device 201 compares each of the one or more captured images 125 with the pre-stored images 123 of the healthy foot of the user to identify one or more diseases in the one or more captured images 125 .
- the sensory module 119 configured in the footwear 101 measure one or more other health parameters related to the user.
- the PPG sensor 119 1 configured in the footwear 101 measures the heart rate and level of oxygen in the blood of the user.
- the accelerometer 119 2 measures the acceleration of the foot of the user.
- the gyroscope 119 3 measures the angular velocity of the foot of the user.
- the one or more health parameter data, measured by each of the sensory module 119 may be transmitted to the computing device 201 to notify the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user about the measured health parameter data.
- the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user may provide one or more feedback to the notification received from the footwear 101 .
- the control unit 109 configured in the footwear 101 improves accuracy of monitoring the foot health based on the one or more feedback received from the user on the notification.
- the quality of the notification is identified by using the explicit feedback from the user and the same is captured onto a self-learning component in the control unit 109 of the footwear 101 .
- the self-learning component identifies a key root cause for the wrong analysis and compares the notifications made at different stages of monitoring. Accordingly, the self-learning component improves the quality of the notifications provided to the users.
- FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
- the method 400 comprises one or more blocks for monitoring the health condition of foot of the user, when the user is wearing the footwear 101 .
- the method 400 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions.
- computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types.
- the footwear 101 is configured with one or more configuration parameters 127 .
- the one or more configuration parameters 127 comprises at least one of the one or more pre-stored images 123 of the foot of the user, the predefined time intervals for capturing the image of the foot, information of one or more care providers and information of the computing device 201 .
- the configuration of the footwear 101 may be achieved through a configuration port 131 in the footwear 101 .
- one or more image capturing devices 103 placed at predefined locations in the footwear 101 capture the one or more images of the foot of the user when the user is wearing the footwear 101 .
- the one or more image capturing devices 103 are actuated by the control unit 109 when the control unit 109 receives a control signal from the pressure sensing module 117 .
- the pressure sensing module 117 sends the control signal to the control unit 109 upon detecting the presence of user's foot in the footwear 101 .
- the light source 105 in the footwear 101 illuminates the foot of the user for enabling the one or more image capturing devices 103 to capture clear picture of the foot.
- the control unit 109 configured in the footwear 101 receives the one or more captured images 125 from the one or more image capturing devices 103 .
- the one or more image capturing devices 103 is configured to capture the image of the foot at one or more predefined time intervals.
- the footwear 101 also comprises a transparent layer, wherein the transparent layer separates the foot of the user and each of the one or more image capturing devices 103 .
- control unit 109 configured in the footwear 101 compares the one or more captured images 125 with one or more pre-stored images 123 to identify one or more differences between the one or more captured images 125 and the one or more pre-stored images 123 , wherein the one or more pre-stored images 123 are the images of healthy foot of the user.
- the control unit 109 configured in the footwear 101 detects health condition of the foot of the user based on the one or more differences.
- the health condition of the foot of the user may also be determined with the help of one or more health parameter data obtained by the sensory module 119 .
- the control unit 109 provides a notification about the health condition of the foot to a computing device 201 associated with at least one of the user and one or more care providers of the user.
- the footwear 101 and the computing device 201 are connected through the communication unit 107 .
- the communication unit 107 may also transmit the one or more captured images 125 to the computing device 201 .
- the present disclosure provides a method and footwear for monitoring health condition of the foot of a user.
- the present disclosure provides a method for providing a real time notification about the health condition of the foot of the user to the user and/or one or more care providers of the user.
- the footwear disclosed in the present disclosure comprises one or more sensory modules for detecting/measuring one or more critical health parameters of the user.
- the present disclosure provides a convenient method of monitoring the foot health of the user requiring no/minimum efforts and/or intervention of the user.
- an embodiment means “one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)” unless expressly specified otherwise.
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Abstract
Description
- The present subject matter is related, in general to monitoring foot conditions, and more particularly, but not exclusively to a footwear and a method for monitoring health condition of foot of a user when the user is wearing the footwear.
- Diseases of the foot are generally not limited to the foot itself, instead they manifest elsewhere in the body of the person. Some of the foot diseases may be present with just a mild ache, but few other foot diseases can be very severe and may even limit the person's ability to walk or bear body weight. In most of the cases, home care treatments are sufficient for minor foot diseases except when a severe pain is present as a disabling condition and usually needs some type of medical attention.
- However, there are a numerous foot diseases which are not easily identified and get into a critical condition due to lack of right treatment at the right time. An example of such a foot disease is diabetic foot ulcer. Diabetes patients often suffer from diabetic neuropathy which causes numbness and loss of sensation in the toes, feet, legs and palms of the patients. And, as a result, the injury in the foot goes unnoticed and eventually becomes a portal for entry of bacteria and infection. Identifying such foot ulcers at their initial stage helps to avail the right treatment at the right time.
- Another example of such a foot disease is ‘Gout’, which is a kind of arthritis which can cause an attack of sudden burning pain, stiffness, and swelling in a joint, usually a big toe. The most common sign of gout is a nighttime attack of swelling, tenderness, redness, and sharp pain in the big toe. The monitoring of foot to identify the deformations/inflammations due to gout helps in availing the right treatment at the right time. Similar principles can be applied to Rheumatoid arthritis and other progressive, degenerative foot diseases.
- The existing arts disclose one or more special apparatus for capturing the images of the foot of the patient to detect the diseases/disorders in the foot. However, the existing arts do not continuously monitor the foot and the progress of the diseases in the foot. Continuous monitoring of the foot is necessary for an early detection and treatment of the diseases/disorders of the foot. Also, the existing arts demand additional efforts from the patients in monitoring/detecting the diseases in the foot, thereby causing inconvenience to the patients. Hence, there is a need for a means which can continuously monitor the foot of the patients without causing any inconvenience to the patients.
- The issues mainly faced in monitoring health condition of the foot of a user are capturing the images of the foot of the user and continuously monitoring the condition of the foot for timely detection of foot diseases and providing a notification about the detection of the foot disease in real time.
- Disclosed herein is footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user. The footwear is designed to address the one or more foot diseases and/or problems in the foot of the user at an early stage. The footwear would periodically capture images of the foot and compare the captured images with historic images of the foot to detect one or more diseases in the foot. The footwear would also notify the users and/or care providers of the users whenever it detects a visually identifiable disease in the foot.
- Accordingly, the present disclosure relates to footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user. The footwear comprises one or more image capturing devices and a control unit. The one or more image capturing devices are placed at predefined locations in the footwear to capture one or more images of the foot of the user, when the user is wearing the footwear. The control unit is configured to receive the one or more images from the one or more image capturing devices. The control unit compares the one or more captured images with one or more pre-stored images to identify one or more differences between the one or more captured images and the one or more pre-stored images, wherein the one or more pre-stored images are the images of healthy foot of the user. Upon comparing the images, the control unit detects health condition of the foot of the user based on the one or more differences in the comparison. Further, the control unit provides a notification about the health condition of the foot to a computing device associated with at least one of the user and one or more care providers of the user.
- Further, the present disclosure relates to a method for monitoring health condition of foot of a user. The method comprises capturing one or more images of the foot of the user by one or more image capturing devices placed at predefined locations in the footwear. The one or more images are captured when the user is wearing the footwear. The one or more images are received from the one or more image capturing devices by a control unit configured in the footwear. The one or more captured images are compared, by the control unit, with one or more pre-stored images to identify one or more differences between the one or more captured images and the one or more pre-stored images, wherein the one or more pre-stored images are the images of healthy foot of the user. The health condition of the foot of the user is detected based on the comparison. Further, a notification is provided to a computing device associated with at least one of the user and one or more care providers of the user, wherein the notification is about the health condition of the foot of the user.
- The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
- The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
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FIG. 1 shows a detailed block diagram illustrating footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; -
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a computing device associated with the user and/or one or more care providers of the user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; -
FIGS. 3a and 3b show exemplary representations of the footwear in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and -
FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. - It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
- In the present document, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
- While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the spirit and the scope of the disclosure.
- The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.
- The present disclosure relates to footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user. The footwear comprises one or more image capturing devices and a control unit. The one or more image capturing devices are placed at predefined locations in the footwear to capture one or more images of the foot of the user, when the user is wearing the footwear. The control unit is configured to receive the one or more images from the one or more image capturing devices. The control unit compares the one or more captured images with one or more pre-stored images to identify one or more differences between the one or more captured images and the one or more pre-stored images, wherein the one or more pre-stored images are the images of healthy foot of the user. Upon comparing the images, the control unit detects health condition of the foot of the user based on the one or more differences. Further, the control unit provides a notification about the health condition of the foot of the user to a computing device associated with at least one of the user and one or more care providers of the user.
- In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
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FIG. 1 shows a detailed block diagram illustrating footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. - In an implementation, as shown in
FIG. 3a , thefootwear 101 comprises one or moreimage capturing devices 103, acommunication unit 107, acontrol unit 109 and amemory unit 111. In an embodiment, thefootwear 101 shall have all the features of anyusual footwear 101. Additionally, thefootwear 101 shall accommodate all the components described below, for monitoring the health condition of the foot of the user. - In an embodiment, the one or more
image capturing devices 103 capture one or more images of the foot of the user when the user is wearing thefootwear 101. The one or moreimage capturing devices 103 may include, but not limiting to, one ormore cameras 103 1 and animage scanner 103 2. The one ormore cameras 103 1 are placed inside thefootwear 101 at one or more predefined location as shown inFIG. 3a to capture one or more images of the foot. Alternatively, theimage scanner 103 2 may be placed and configured in such a way that, theimage scanner 103 2 moves below the foot of the user, thereby capturing one or more images of the foot. In an embodiment, there may be a transparent and/or translucent layer between the one or moreimage capturing devices 103 and the foot of the user. The transparent and/or translucent layer (not shown in FIGS.) placed in thefootwear 101 separates the one or moreimage capturing devices 103 from the foot of the user when the user is wearing thefootwear 101, thereby enabling the one or moreimage capturing devices 103 to capture one or more images of the foot. - The light source 105 (shown in
FIGS. 3a and 3b ) illuminates the foot of the user for enabling the one or moreimage capturing devices 103 to capture a clear and bright image of the foot. In an embodiment, thelight source 105 may include, without limiting to, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) flash light or a flashcube that may be placed inside thefootwear 101. Thelight source 105 may be synchronized with the one or moreimage capturing devices 103 for illuminating thefootwear 101 only when the one or moreimage capturing devices 103 are actuated. In an embodiment, thelight source 105 may continuously illuminate the inside portion of thefootwear 101. Alternatively, thelight source 105 may also illuminate the inside portion of thefootwear 101 periodically, for a predetermined time interval. As an example, the predetermined time interval for illuminating the inside portion of thefootwear 101 may be 5 seconds, 10 seconds and etc. In another embodiment, thelight source 105 may illuminate the inside portion of thefootwear 101 only when the user is wearing thefootwear 101, thereby reducing the power consumption. - The
communication unit 107 may be configured in thefootwear 101 to enable thefootwear 101 or thecontrol unit 109 in thefootwear 101 to communicate/connect to thecomputing device 201 associated with the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user. In an embodiment, thecommunication unit 107 may include, without limitation, the one or more wireless/air communication interfaces 209 such as, Wireless Local Area Network (LAN), Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Thecommunication unit 107 may be used to transfer the one or more capturedimages 125 and one or more notifications to thecomputing device 201. - In an embodiment, the
control unit 109 is configured to receive the one or more images from the one or moreimage capturing devices 103. The one or more capturedimages 125 are compared with one or morepre-stored images 123 to identify one or more differences between the one or more capturedimages 125 and the one or morepre-stored images 123. Thecontrol unit 109 detects the health condition of the foot based on the one or more differences identified in the comparison. Further, thecontrol unit 109 provides a notification about the health condition to thecomputing device 201 associated with the user or the one or more care providers of the user using thecommunication unit 107. - In an embodiment, the
control unit 109 may include, but not limited to, a receivingmodule 113, a transmittingmodule 115, apressure sensing module 117, asensory module 119 and one or moreother modules 121. In an embodiment, theother modules 121 may be used to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of thecontrol unit 109 in thefootwear 101. It will be appreciated that such aforementioned modules may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules. - In an embodiment, the receiving
module 113 may be configured to receive one or more inputs, signals and configuration settings from thecomputing device 201 through thecommunication unit 107. The configuration settings may include, without limitation, information about thecomputing device 201, and information about the user and/or one or more care providers of the user. - In an embodiment, the transmitting
module 115 may be configured to transmit one or more data and signals to the one or more modules in thefootwear 101. The transmittingmodule 115 may also transmit one or more images captured by the one or moreimage capturing device 103 to thecomputing device 201 using thecommunication unit 107. - In an embodiment, the
pressure sensing module 117 may be placed at one or more predefined locations inside thefootwear 101 to sense the presence of the foot of the user in thefootwear 101. Thepressure sensing module 117 is communicatively coupled to thecontrol unit 109 and is responsible for actuating the one or more modules in thefootwear 101. As an example, thepressure sensing module 117 may transmit a control signal to thecontrol unit 109 to actuate each of the one or moreimage capturing devices 103 and thelight source 105 upon detecting the presence of the foot in thefootwear 101. In an embodiment, thepressure sensing module 117 may also measure the amount of pressure applied by body of the user on the foot and/or the pressure applied by the foot on thefootwear 101 and captures the foot movement pattern. - In an embodiment, the
sensory module 119 comprises a Photo plethysmography (PPG)sensor 119 1, anaccelerometer 119 2 and agyroscope 119 3 as shown inFIG. 3b . In an embodiment, thePPG sensors 119 1 are placed inside thefootwear 101, such that thePPG sensor 119 1 touches/clamps to the toe of the user. ThePPG sensor 119 1 is used for optical detection of blood volume changes in the micro-vascular bed of tissue of the user. ThePPG sensor 119 1 may further comprise a light source and a detector, with infrared (IR) LEDs. ThePPG sensor 119 1 monitors changes in the light intensity via reflection from or transmission through the tissues of the user. The changes in light intensity are associated with small variations in blood perfusion of the tissue and provide information on the cardiovascular system, in particular, the pulse rate of the user. ThePPG sensors 119 1 are used in thefootwear 101 due to their simplified working and their usefulness in monitoring the overall health condition of the user. - The
accelerometer 119 2 may be configured on a predefined location in thefootwear 101 for measuring the acceleration of the foot of the user. In an embodiment, theaccelerometer 119 2 may also be used to measure/calculate the speed of walking and/or running of the user and to detect abnormalities, if any. In another embodiment, theaccelerometer 119 2 can be used to activate the system based on the movement detection. - The
gyroscope 119 3 may be configured on a predefined location in thefootwear 101 for measuring the angular velocity of the foot of the user. In an embodiment, thegyroscope 119 3 may also be used to detect and monitor vibrations of the foot inside thefootwear 101. - In an embodiment, the
sensory module 119 is used to measure current pressure, foot movement pattern and analyze them with historic data available in the memory and determines the quality of walking pattern. Thesensory module 119 may also collect and measure heart rate data of the user with the historic data in the memory and provides a comparison analysis for the user. The heart rate data may also be used to detect Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and thereby, stress or fatigue levels of the user. - The
memory unit 111 stores one or morepre-stored images 123, one or more capturedimages 125 of the foot, one ormore configuration parameters 127 andother data 129. - In one embodiment, the data may be stored in the
memory unit 111 in the form of various data structures. Additionally, the aforementioned data can be organized using data models, such as relational or hierarchical data models. Theother data 129 may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by modules for performing the various functions ofcontrol unit 109 in thefootwear 101. - In an embodiment, the captured
images 125 are the one or more images captured from the one or moreimage capturing devices 103. The one or moreimage capturing devices 103 capture the one or more images of the foot of the user when the user is wearing thefootwear 101. Thelight source 105 configured in thefootwear 101 illuminates the foot of the user for capturing clear and bright images of the foot. In an embodiment, the one or moreimage capturing devices 103 may capture the one or more images of the foot at predetermined time intervals. As an example, the predetermined time interval for capturing the new image of the foot may be 30 minutes. - In an embodiment, the
pre-stored images 123 are the one or more images of the foot of the user which are captured when the foot of the user is in a healthy condition or shall act as a reference image, if the foot of the user is already damaged. The one or more capturedimages 125 are compared with thepre-stored images 123 to detect one or more disorders and/or variations in the foot. In another embodiment, the one or morepre-stored images 123 may be stored in thestorage unit 205 of thecomputing device 201. In such a scenario, thecontrol unit 109 transmits the one or more capturedimages 125 to thecomputing device 201 through thecommunication unit 107. Further, theprocessor 203 of thecomputing device 201 performs the comparison of the one or more capturedimages 125 with thepre-stored images 123 to detect one or more disorders in the foot. In an alternate embodiment, thecomputing device 201 can be part of thefootwear 101. - In an embodiment, the one or
more configuration parameters 127 are used to configure thefootwear 101 as per the requirements of the user of thefootwear 101. The user may configure thefootwear 101 using aconfiguration port 131 in thefootwear 101. The one ormore configuration parameters 127 may include, but not limited to, one or morepre-stored images 123 of the foot, information of one or more care providers of the user, information of thecomputing device 201 and the predetermined intervals for capturing the images. - In an embodiment, the
configuration port 131 is used to configure thefootwear 101 with one ormore configuration parameters 127 listed hereinabove. Theconfiguration port 131 may also be used for configuring thecommunication unit 107 in thefootwear 101. In an embodiment, theconfiguration port 131 may be a generic Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, which is also capable of charging abattery 133 in thefootwear 101. - In an embodiment, the
battery 133 may be used to power one or moreimage capturing devices 103, thelight source 105 and the one or more modules in thecontrol unit 109. Thebattery 133 may be rechargeable and/or replaceable when it is discharged completely. -
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a computing device associated with the user and/or one or more care providers of the user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. - The
computing device 201 associated with the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user may include, without limitation, a smart phone, a tablet phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a laptop and a personal computer (PC). In an implementation, thecomputing device 201 comprises aprocessor 203, astorage unit 205, I/O interface 207 and acommunication interface 209. Thecomputing device 201 is communicatively associated to thefootwear 101 and shall be capable of receiving one or more capturedimages 125 of the foot through thecommunication unit 107. Thecomputing device 201 may also receive one or more notifications about the health condition of the foot of the user from thefootwear 101. - In an embodiment, the
processor 203 of thecomputing device 201 is capable of performing each of the functions performed by thecontrol unit 109 in thefootwear 101. Theprocessor 203 may be connected with one or more input/output (I/O) devices via the I/O interface 207 for displaying the one or more capturedimages 125 to the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user. - In an embodiment, the
storage unit 205 may store one or morepre-stored images 123 of the foot of the user. In another embodiment, thestorage unit 205 of thecomputing device 201 may include, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fibre channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) and the similar. Thestorage unit 205 may also store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, a User Interface (UI) application and an operating system. - In an embodiment, the I/
O interface 207 may be used to display the one or more capturedimages 125, thepre-stored images 123 and the received notifications to the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user. The I/O interface 207 may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, Digital Visual Interface (DVI) and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI). - In an embodiment, the
communication interface 209 configured in thecomputing device 201 is capable of connecting to thecommunication unit 107 of thefootwear 101 to receive and/or transmit the one or more capturedimages 125, thepre-stored images 123 and the notifications to thefootwear 101. In an embodiment, thecommunication interface 209 may also be used to configure thefootwear 101 before it is used by the user. -
FIG. 3b shows exemplary representation of the footwear in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. - The
pressure sensing module 117 configured in thefootwear 101 measures the amount of pressure applied on thefootwear 101. Thepressure sensing module 117 transmits a control signal to thecontrol unit 109 upon detecting the presence of the user's foot in thefootwear 101. Thecontrol unit 109, in response to the control signal from thepressure sensing module 117, actuates the one or moreimage capturing devices 103, thelight source 105 and each of the modules in thefootwear 101. The one or more image capturing devices 103 (plurality ofcameras 103 1 and animage scanner 103 2 are shown inFIGS. 3a and 3b ) capture the one or more images of the foot of the user upon actuation from thecontrol unit 109 at predetermined time intervals. The light source 105 (not shown in figure) configured in thefootwear 101 illuminates the foot of the user in order to capture a clear and bright image of the foot. In an embodiment, a transparent and/or translucent layer in thefootwear 101 separates the one or moreimage capturing devices 103 and thelight source 105 from the foot of the user when the user is wearing thefootwear 101. - In an embodiment, the
control unit 109 compares the one or more capturedimages 125 with one or morepre-stored images 123 to identify one or more differences between the one or more capturedimages 125 and the one or morepre-stored images 123. The one or morepre-stored images 123 are the images of the healthy foot of the user. Thecontrol unit 109 further detects the health condition of the foot of the user based on the one or more differences identified during the comparison. The detected health condition of the foot is notified to thecomputing device 201 associated with the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user through thecommunication unit 107. The user and/or the one or more care providers of the user may take necessary medical treatments if there are any disorders/diseases in the foot. - In another embodiment, upon capturing the one or more images of the foot, the one or more captured
images 125 may be transmitted to thecomputing device 201 through thecommunication unit 107 configured in thefootwear 101. Thecomputing device 201 compares each of the one or more capturedimages 125 with thepre-stored images 123 of the healthy foot of the user to identify one or more diseases in the one or more capturedimages 125. - In an embodiment, the
sensory module 119 configured in thefootwear 101 measure one or more other health parameters related to the user. ThePPG sensor 119 1 configured in thefootwear 101 measures the heart rate and level of oxygen in the blood of the user. Theaccelerometer 119 2 measures the acceleration of the foot of the user. Thegyroscope 119 3 measures the angular velocity of the foot of the user. The one or more health parameter data, measured by each of thesensory module 119 may be transmitted to thecomputing device 201 to notify the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user about the measured health parameter data. - In an embodiment, the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user may provide one or more feedback to the notification received from the
footwear 101. Thecontrol unit 109 configured in thefootwear 101 improves accuracy of monitoring the foot health based on the one or more feedback received from the user on the notification. The quality of the notification is identified by using the explicit feedback from the user and the same is captured onto a self-learning component in thecontrol unit 109 of thefootwear 101. For each notification with poor feedbacks, the self-learning component identifies a key root cause for the wrong analysis and compares the notifications made at different stages of monitoring. Accordingly, the self-learning component improves the quality of the notifications provided to the users. -
FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. - As illustrated in
FIG. 4 , themethod 400 comprises one or more blocks for monitoring the health condition of foot of the user, when the user is wearing thefootwear 101. Themethod 400 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types. - The order in which the
method 400 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. - At
block 401, thefootwear 101 is configured with one ormore configuration parameters 127. The one ormore configuration parameters 127 comprises at least one of the one or morepre-stored images 123 of the foot of the user, the predefined time intervals for capturing the image of the foot, information of one or more care providers and information of thecomputing device 201. The configuration of thefootwear 101 may be achieved through aconfiguration port 131 in thefootwear 101. - At
block 403, one or moreimage capturing devices 103 placed at predefined locations in thefootwear 101 capture the one or more images of the foot of the user when the user is wearing thefootwear 101. The one or moreimage capturing devices 103 are actuated by thecontrol unit 109 when thecontrol unit 109 receives a control signal from thepressure sensing module 117. Thepressure sensing module 117 sends the control signal to thecontrol unit 109 upon detecting the presence of user's foot in thefootwear 101. Thelight source 105 in thefootwear 101 illuminates the foot of the user for enabling the one or moreimage capturing devices 103 to capture clear picture of the foot. - At
block 405, thecontrol unit 109 configured in thefootwear 101 receives the one or more capturedimages 125 from the one or moreimage capturing devices 103. The one or moreimage capturing devices 103 is configured to capture the image of the foot at one or more predefined time intervals. Further, thefootwear 101 also comprises a transparent layer, wherein the transparent layer separates the foot of the user and each of the one or moreimage capturing devices 103. - At
block 407, thecontrol unit 109 configured in thefootwear 101 compares the one or more capturedimages 125 with one or morepre-stored images 123 to identify one or more differences between the one or more capturedimages 125 and the one or morepre-stored images 123, wherein the one or morepre-stored images 123 are the images of healthy foot of the user. - At
block 409, thecontrol unit 109 configured in thefootwear 101 detects health condition of the foot of the user based on the one or more differences. The health condition of the foot of the user may also be determined with the help of one or more health parameter data obtained by thesensory module 119. - At
block 411, thecontrol unit 109 provides a notification about the health condition of the foot to acomputing device 201 associated with at least one of the user and one or more care providers of the user. Thefootwear 101 and thecomputing device 201 are connected through thecommunication unit 107. Thecommunication unit 107 may also transmit the one or more capturedimages 125 to thecomputing device 201. - In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method and footwear for monitoring health condition of the foot of a user.
- In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method for providing a real time notification about the health condition of the foot of the user to the user and/or one or more care providers of the user.
- In an embodiment, the footwear disclosed in the present disclosure comprises one or more sensory modules for detecting/measuring one or more critical health parameters of the user.
- In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a convenient method of monitoring the foot health of the user requiring no/minimum efforts and/or intervention of the user.
- The terms “an embodiment”, “embodiment”, “embodiments”, “the embodiment”, “the embodiments”, “one or more embodiments”, “some embodiments”, and “one embodiment” mean “one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)” unless expressly specified otherwise.
- The terms “including”, “comprising”, “having” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
- The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise.
- The terms “a”, “an” and “the” mean “one or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
- A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.
- When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device/article (whether or not they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it will be readily apparent that a single device/article may be used in place of the more than one device or article or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the invention need not include the device itself.
- Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
- While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
-
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Reference Number Description 101 Footwear 103 Image capturing devices 105 Light source 107 Communication unit 109 Control unit 111 Memory unit 113 Receiving module 115 Transmitting module 117 Pressure sensing module 119 Sensory module 121 Other modules 123 Pre-stored images 125 Captured images 127 Configuration parameters 129 Other data 131 Configuration port 133 Battery 201 Computing device 203 Processor 205 Storage unit 207 I/ O Interface 209 Communication interface
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