Safe Sole

thingiverse

This wearable fusion challenge design aimed to create an unobtrusive, user-friendly, and easy-to-charge device. To achieve this, the design team decided to develop a shoe insert that seamlessly integrates with one's existing shoes, making it nearly impossible to notice. The electronics incorporated into this example include two rechargeable button cells, a type-c female charging port, two accelerometers (one front and one back), a sim card module, and the main control board. For use, the sole is designed to either replace or be placed under the current sole of one's shoes and can be custom-fit using Fusion 360 tools. The wearable would likely require daily charging due to its current battery capacity; however, this could be improved with better or larger batteries. The Safe Sole has the ability to send and receive SMS messages through the sim card and obtain a rough location based on cell tower distance. The two accelerometers are used to integrate simple gesture controls (such as tapping the foot three times) that can be sent out as alerts; these could go to parents, friends, or the police. Because the wearable is located on one's shoe, it is unlikely any assailant would notice these gestures, allowing them to be sent without escalating the situation. Different gestures could be integrated and would be fairly accurate due to both the heel and toe accelerometer sensors. The different gestures could correspond to various levels of danger and actions such as sending an SMS with the user's current location or notifying the police. Additionally, thanks to its inconspicuous nature, in the unfortunate event of a kidnapping or hostage situation, the victim's shoes are unlikely to be removed; unlike phones, wrists, or other wearables. Finally, as SMS messages can be both sent and received from the wearable, the location of the device can be requested at any time. The Safe Sole should be printed using flexible material, and the electronics inserted halfway through the print at a layer height of 2.5mm. The wearable features a trigonal pattern in areas where the majority of pressure is placed (heel and toes) to increase comfort, while areas with less force house the electronics. The design also has an easily accessible type-c charger and is the only input required from the user after the device is complete. The shape of the Safe Sole insert can be tailored to each user's foot, ensuring a perfect fit for any given shoe. This allows the electronics to be extracted and reused in future prints for growing children, saving on costs. The file included is based on the designer's size 11.5 Nike shoes.