Abstract
The global advancement of technology is at an alarming rate. Most of the challenges faced by a human beings subdivided into small, simple units that can be solved easily through technology. Every time engineers design one thing or the other to meet peoples demands.
Currently, the world is full of smart technology and has come up with ‘smart’ gadgets to increase the level of human comfort. Examples of products from smart technology are the smart phone, smart television, and smart car. We may also have a ‘smart house’ in future. In this relation, a smart shoe can be designed. The project in question tries to come up with a shoe that could be paired with smart phone applications such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Google map’s data base will be used to source information regarding the navigation. The shoe will be able to guide the user in the desired direction by making turns like left turn and right turn. The same commands would be communicated via six vibrating motors which are mounted in the shoe. The six directions that are relayed by the motors are left, right, up, down, front and back. The shoe has a microcontroller that would be paired with the smartphone through Bluetooth (Moro & Benasciutti, 2010)
The project requires a complete set of circuits and block diagrams that link the smartphone and the shoe. This paper explains the functionality of a smart shoe and the cost of establishing.
Background information
The rapid technology growth has made most applications over-utilized. In this scenario of a smart shoe, the smartphone Bluetooth application is being utilized as part of the circuit in the navigation. The power supply for the phone and the shoe system has to be devised. A device that converts the body heat to electricity is needed to enable the powering of the phone and the shoe navigation system. The new technology in thermal generators has a provision for converting heat to electricity via a phenomenon known as Seebeck effect. This effect occurs when a difference in temperature is induced between two different types of metals which are shaped to form rings. The generated electricity can be stored for powering the electrical system in the shoe and the phone. The technology has already been applied in other aspects of innovations such as medical devices, cell phones, and watches (Yu & Ikura, 2007)
The voltage generated by the thermo-generator is related to other parameters as shown in equation (1) below
V = N x ΔT x α (1)
Where V = voltage generated
N = Number of leg pairs
ΔT = Temperature difference between top and bottom sides
α = Seeback coefficient (Yu & Ikura, 2007)
Smart shoe gives a reliable means of navigation in both indoor and outdoor when appropriate circuits are implemented. An addition feature of a pressure sensor integrates feet pressure distribution during movements. With the normal universal serial bus (USB) charging system, the shoe would be an invaluable device in the market (Moro & Benasciutti, 2010)
Budget
The table below shows the approximate cost of implementing a Smart shoe.
References
Moro, L., & Benasciutti, D. (2010). Harvested power and sensitivity analysis of vibrating shoe-mounted piezoelectric cantilevers. Smart Mater. Struct., 19(11), 115011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0964-1726/19/11/115011
Yu, J., & Ikura, M. (2007). DIRECT CONVERSION OF WASTE HEAT TO ELECTRICITY USING PYROELECTRIC CONVERSION, 27(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.2316/journal.203.2007.4.203-3789
