Three Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) students innovated anti-contracture shoes, called Aveo-3, for patients with ankle paralysis.
Bryan Nuril Inzaghi, Andri Khoirul Huda, and Muhammad Fahmi Husaen made this third generation product to prevent contracture in the ankle.
Under the guidance of Budi Sumanto, S.Si., M.Eng., in the Student Creativity Program, the vocational school students have developed the shoes since 2018. Aveo 3 uses a motor stepper with 4.8 N.m torque that can move the ankle. The microcontroller uses an arduino nano.
“Aveo 3 shoes are equipped with mechanomyogram sensor series to detect muscle tension,” said Fahmi on Monday (19/8) at UGM campus.
He said the shoes were installed with Electret Microphone-based sensors to read the muscle signals. It was designed using polyethylene and polylactic acid materials that are lightweight but strong as well as comfortable.
“Temporary testing showed that the driving motor can be controlled via a smartphone while the mechanoymogram detects muscle tension,” he revealed.
Fahmi said the idea to develop Aveo shoes was inspired by his personal experience of suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The disease causes a decrease in muscle function, resulting in leg paralysis. Because he never did physiotherapy, Fahmi’s ankle felt stiff and difficult to move. This had inspired him to make a tool that could help prevent ankle contractures. The shoes can generate automatic movements like a physiotherapy so as to prevent the contracture.
“Hopefully, the Aveo 3 can benefit people with disabilities and be used for therapy,” he said.
Aveo 3 shoes were not only a breakthrough for paralysis therapy, the shoes also made it to the National Student Scientific Week which will be held at the end of August at Universitas Udayana Bali.
