Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2

Avriel International, based in Canada, is a growing specialty footwear manufacturing company that producesvarieties of orthotic, diabetic and dancing shoes. In an effort to expand their product offerings, Avriel isdeveloping a Medicare Diabetic Shoe with embedded sensors that will improve patients' awareness ofdiminished sensations in their feet. The sensors will give an alarm notification and valuable data to the patientand clinicians when data being logged is outside a "safe" zone. The innovative technology is expected toimprove patients' ability to manage chronic conditions and avoid amputation that could result fromunawareness of impending dangers. Avriel would like to implement this technology as intelligent insoles thatcan be used with any shoe.Initially, Avriel worked on this innovation with the University of Manitoba to perform fundamental researchstudy, in which basic electronics and sensors were integrated and tested with a shoe. This initial researchprovided useful information on the "Smart Shoe" concept. The developed solution was quite basic, with theelectronics and sensors lacking the small-scale requirement for integration into an insole as a prototype. As afirst step towards commercialization of the innovation, Avriel collaborated with us at the Technology AccessCentre for Aerospace and Manufacturing (TACAM) at Red River College (RRC), through an NSERC EngageGrant, to design, develop and implement a completely integrated smart insole prototype. The first phase of theproject met all the objectives with a smart insole prototype successfully developed. Avriel intends on buildingon this previous success, in this proposed Phase II, by progressing the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) ofthe product and bring it to pre-commercialization.This second phase is aimed at improving the manufacturability of the integrated insole, expanding therobustness and reliability of the product, as well as to refine the user experience. Flexible circuits board willreplace the current rigid circuit boards, the insole materials will be remanufactured for comfort, and the current