University of 海角社区 students are designing a device to help runners determine when their athletic shoes should be replaced to help prevent injuries like stress fractures, shin splints and inflammation.
The project team, made up of four senior biomedical engineering students, is developing an athletic shoe replacement indicator that measures structural changes in the footwear over time. Running shoes can lose cushioning and support after repeated loading cycles, even when visible wear is minimal. As the shoes鈥 midsoles degrade, impact forces transmitted to the body can increase, raising the risk of overuse injuries.
Replacing shoes too late is a common but overlooked problem among runners. Current methods for determining when to replace shoes, however, typically rely on mileage estimates or waiting for discomfort to occur.
鈥淭hat solution is unreliable,鈥 said U海角社区 senior Paul Rudman, 鈥淚f a shoe is replaced too late, the damage and wear might have already occurred. However, replacing before needed is costly, and the average person can not afford it.鈥
The team鈥檚 indicator would instead collect data related to activity and force changes within the show, translating that information into a clear indicator for users.
By indicating when a shoe has been structurally compromised, the device aims to help runners make informed decisions that balance cost and health considerations. It is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing shoe constructions.
鈥淭he indicator will simply make key measurements of a person鈥檚 activity and force changes in the shoe to reliably indicate the most financially and healthily time to replace your shoe,鈥 Rudman said.
Rudman focuses on modeling and materials design while also contributing to electrical component development. The other students involved in the project include Shawn Collins, who leads controller programming and testing; Mason Chase, who specializes in medical and design considerations; and Sreyas Sajen, who manages computations and force interaction analysis.
They are designing the replacement shoe indicator for their senior capstone project, which emphasizes applying interdisciplinary knowledge toward solving real world problems. Rudman and his colleagues are applying their past coursework in biomechanics, materials science and electronics curricula toward developing a product with clear market relevance.
鈥淲e learn to find existing problems and use the knowledge that we already possess to create a solution,鈥 Rudman said.
The athletics shoe replacement indicator project highlights how undergraduate research at U海角社区 can translate injury prevention research into practical technology aimed at supporting healthier movement for runners at all levels.
Story by William Bickford, graduate student writer
Contact: Taylor Ward, taylor.ward@maine.edu
