An insole records how pressure moves across the foot while walking. The app turns that into a picture.
A student research project on gait analysis.
A schematic view of one step cycle, slowed down. Not real measurement data.
In less than a second the pressure travels from the heel along the outer edge to the ball of the foot and on to the big toe. The insole shows where the load is at each instant.
The foot lands on the heel. For a moment it carries almost the entire weight.
The load rolls forward along the outer edge. The foot catches the step and becomes a support.
The ball takes over. From here the leg pushes the body forward.
The toe pushes off last. The other foot is already landing, and the sequence begins again.
This sequence looks a little different for every person – and it changes when one leg is loaded differently from the other. That is exactly what the insole records. Across many steps in a row you can read how evenly someone walks: whether both sides carry a similar load, whether the rhythm stays steady, whether something shifts over a longer distance.
Both sides carry a similar load, and each foot stays on the ground for the same length of time. That is what an unremarkable gait pattern looks like in this view.
From the insole to the picture on the screen there are three stations.
Sensors in the insole record many times per second how hard the foot presses at each point.
The recording keeps running in the background while you walk. The phone can stay in your pocket.
Steps, load distribution and rhythm are calculated from the raw signal and shown in a way that can be read without any prior knowledge.
VisionSole is not a finished product but an ongoing project. Here is where we stand – without any gloss.
We developed the electronics, the build of the insole, the transfer to the phone and the app ourselves.
We are recording people as they walk. The more different the people who take part, the more meaningful the data becomes.
The open question: which patterns can actually be told apart reliably in the recordings? That decides what the insole will be able to do in the end.
The project is an entry in both of these German competitions for young researchers and young founders.
A gait analysis is only as good as the data behind it. We need recordings from as many different people as possible – young, old, athletic, recovering from an injury, with and without a noticeable gait.
Send us a short message and we will get back to you with the details. There are no costs, and you decide yourself what happens to your recording.
VisionSole is being built at Norbert-Gymnasium Knechtsteden, a secondary school in Dormagen, Germany. We developed the insole and the app ourselves – from the electronics and the software through to the analysis.
App and data analysis
Insole, electronics and assembly
Organisation and contacts
VisionSole is not a medical device. The insole does not make diagnoses and does not replace an examination by a doctor or a therapist.
Is your question not here? Write to us.
No. The insole does not make diagnoses and does not replace an examination by a doctor or a therapist. VisionSole records how pressure is distributed across the foot while walking – nothing more.
No. VisionSole is a student research project, not a company. There is no sale and no pre-order.
Sensors in the insole record many times per second how hard the foot presses at each point. From that sequence the app calculates steps, load distribution and rhythm.
No. The graphics on this page are schematic and show an idealised step cycle. They are there to explain what this is about, not to anticipate results.
None beyond what is technically unavoidable. There are no cookies, no analytics tools and no external content – even the fonts are on our own server. Only if you write to us through the contact form is your message forwarded to us as an email. The details are in the privacy notice, which is available in German.
A gait recording helps us most. If you would like to take part, or know someone for whom that might work, send us a short message.
Whether you would like to offer a gait recording or have a question: we will get back to you, usually within a few days. If you prefer to write directly, you can reach us at info@visionsole.com.
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