At the Fraunhofer Institutes for Mechanics of Materials and for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology in Germany, researchers have been working on developing a process of making personalized shoe insoles for diabetic patients. People with advanced diabetes can suffer from neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease, turning the tissue of the soles fragile and easily damaged. To prevent pressure wounds, custom made insoles are produced that have different areas of softness and hardness that provide support while avoiding injury to specific spots on the foot. Nowadays the insoles are usually manually crafted for each patient’s needs, but the process is not systematic and often doesn’t produce optimal results.
