Dual optical force plate for time resolved measurement of forces and pressure distributions beneath shoes and feet

Tompkins, Christopher G.; Sharp, James S.

Abstract

Frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) imaging was used to perform remote optical measurements of the forces/pressures exerted beneath shoes and feet during a number of different training activities including countermovement jumps, jogging and drop jumps. A single camera was used to simultaneously image two acrylic, FTIR waveguide imaging elements from below, at frame rates up to 200 frames per second. The images obtained using the camera were converted into pressure/force maps using a previously developed theory which combines the mechanics of contact of soft objects and the scattering of evanescent waves. The forces obtained from the optical measurements were shown to be in good agreement with measurements obtained from load cells placed beneath the FTIR imaging elements. The ability to produce accurate spatial maps of the force/pressure distribution beneath soft contacting objects such as feet and shoe outsoles at high frame rates has numerous potential applications in sports sciences and medicine.

Citation

Tompkins, C. G., & Sharp, J. S. (2019). Dual optical force plate for time resolved measurement of forces and pressure distributions beneath shoes and feet. Scientific Reports, 9, Article 8886. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45287-9

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 4, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Jun 20, 2019
• Publication Date: Jun 20, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jun 13, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 21, 2019
• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Electronic ISSN: 2045-2322
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Article Number: 8886
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45287-9
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2184353
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-45287-9
• Additional Information: Received: 29 March 2019; Accepted: 4 June 2019; First Online: 20 June 2019; : The authors declare no competing interests.