Hands Free Fitted Shoe

The ability to don and doff fitted shoes can be a challenge for many people including those diagnosed with diabetes, obesity, limb loss, pregnancy, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, surgical complications, and aging. Though these actions may seem trivial, the ability to independently put on shoes is necessary because it can significantly impact one’s capacity to complete everyday tasks, hold relationships, and maintain mental health. Current competitors in the market are excessively expensive, not completely hands-free, or not fully enclosed shoes, so a new design for an accessible and affordable hands-free fitted shoe could be of great benefit to the general population. In this biomedical engineering senior design project, the team, PodAl, found a way to increase the user- friendliness of fitted shoes for those with mobility issues, deformities, or other maladies to increase independence, safety, comfort, and functionality of fitted shoes for targeted populations. This design has undergone verification and validation testing and was proven to meet customer and engineering requirements