A Device that Provides Feedback for
a Student with a Nueromuscular Disorder
Designer: Karl P. Metzemaekers
Abstract
The Drop Foot Sock (DFS) was designed to
alert the user if their foot was not bent back enough to
take a proper heel-plant. The device is simply a sensor
attached to an ACE bandage that detects a drop in the foot.
As the foot drops, a motors vibration intensifies more and
more, alerting the user to concentrate more on pivoting the
foot so that the heel plants first. If the heel is not
planted first, a stumble or fall is probable. Upon
completion, the DSF was presented to Nathan Plummer. Nathan
has a nueromuscular disorder known as drop foot that affects
his ability to raise his foot at the ankle. He wears a
brace that pivots his ankle for him so that his heel always
plants first as he steps.
