Smart shoes designed to ‘walk with confidence’ available in EU, US
Sensors in NUSHU track gait for analysis, vibrate to help with walking
Sensor-equipped shoes — called NUSHU smart shoes — that are designed to support people with walking difficulties due to Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions have received the CE mark of approval in the Europe Union (EU).
The shoes perform clinical-grade gait analysis in real time, with biofeedback given that assists patients while walking, Magnes, which developed and markets the sneaker-like shoes, announced in a company press release.
With this certification, NUSHU smart shoes are recognized in the EU as a Class IIa medical product, allowing them to be marketed as a treatment option for neurological disorders. They also are available to patients in the U.S. though Magnes’ partner clinics or its online shop, having recently gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance.
Shoes equipped with sensors for real-time analysis of person’s gait
“At Magnes, our mission is to empower neurological patients by providing them with innovative tools like NUSHU. We believe in the transformative power of technology not only to manage symptoms but also to improve the overall quality of life for those living with conditions like Parkinson’s disease,” Olgaç Ergeneman, PhD, Magnes’ co-founder and CEO, stated in an email response to Parkinson’s News Today.
Parkinson’s is caused by the progressive dysfunction and loss of dopaminergic neurons, nerve cells that produce dopamine, a brain chemical messenger involved in voluntary movement control. This loss in proper brain signaling results in characteristic disease motor symptoms, from tremors and slowed movement to muscle rigidity and balance and gait issues.
NUSHU shoes are embedded with smart sensors and actuators that allow real-time analysis of a patient’s gait, whether used in a clinic, at the home, or elsewhere. They also give direct vibrotactile sensory feedback to people wearing them, with vibrations helping to confirm steps or set a rhythm to follow, Magnes states.
Medical-grade gait data is collected while the patient is walking or engaging in an activity, and then processed by artificial intelligence-powered algorithms that detect gait issues. A video of the NUSHU shoes provided by Magnes shows a man with Parkinson’s struggling to walk while its sensors are turned off, and walking with “confidence and stability” when the sensors are turned on.
NUSHU studies being planned at various universities in the US
The system also delivers automatic reports covering more than 40 gait parameters, including balance, spatiotemporal data, and symmetry measures of a person’s left and right sides, which users can share with doctors, family, and others. Reports are accessible through the company’s dashboard, allowing clinicians and patients to analyze progress and check whether gait parameters are in the expected range via a color-coded interface.
“With our NUSHU smart shoes, we can analyze patients’ movements in real-time and give them immediate biofeedback to support them while walking,” Ergeneman said. “We are committed to pushing boundaries, extending what’s possible, ensuring that every patient has access to the support they need.”
Depending on the shoe package a person choses, an available app can track daily steps and distance covered, and help in understanding walking habits.
Magnes told Parkinson’s News that it plans to open clinical studies of the shoes at several U.S. universities, including Harvard, the University of California San Diego, and Stanford.
NUSHU smart shoes also can be used by people with multiple sclerosis, stroke, and other neurological conditions affecting movement.
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