Self‐Powered Smart Shoes with Functional Ribbon Units for Monitoring Human Gait

Abstract This study presents novel, self‐powered smart shoes that can detect various gait patterns and harvest electrical energy. A functional ribbon unit made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ribbon and conductive fabric tape is used for the energy harvester, and a dynamic sensor is used for monitoring the gait patterns. To determine the optimal number of ribbon units and effective elongation levels for energy harvesting, static tensile and repetitive electromechanical tests are performed. In addition, the generated output voltage and energy storage capacity according to the ribbon configuration are experimentally investigated. To enhance the energy‐harvesting efficiency of the functional ribbon unit, a high‐stiffness lightweight carbon composite frame is installed at the heel part inside the smart shoes, and three ribbon units are fastened to it. From the performance test, it is concluded that the harvester generates sufficient electric power, which is stored in successive capacitors; subsequently, the generated electric power is stored in a lithium‐ion battery. Moreover, various gait patterns are successfully identified, and gait speed is estimated using the proposed smart shoes.