A team of designers is taking steps to make cruising around the clinic easier on your hooves.
Louboutins they ain’t.
But some hi-tech boots under development by Monash Uni along with tradie favourite Blundstone might soon become the footwear of choice for doctors, nurses and other health professionals.
The design concept boot is jam-packed with intelligent gear like pressure and temperature sensors that allow the boot to analyse any abnormalities in how you strut.
Dr Rowan Page, from Monash’s Health Design Collab, says the technology captures rich information about the day-to-day challenges faced by the wearer, and uses machine-learning techniques to see what’s going on when they’re working a 20-hour shift.
“We’ve integrated a sensor system that analyses multiple parts of the foot to provide real-time feedback via a smartphone app that detects abnormalities and highlights potential issues,” Dr Page said.
“The shoes classify different tasks undertaken throughout a work shift and can identify different postures, changes in walking gait and the lifting of heavy loads.”
The concept boot is an appropriate medical white, with a bit of spacey silver, rather than the traditional brown Blundstone look.
Unsurprisingly, healthcare workers value comfort and hygiene when selecting shoes for work so the boot’s upper provides chemical and bacterial resistance for the wearer.
Dr Page and his band of avid calceologists are fired up about the design – which has been shortlisted for a 2022 Designers Australia Award – and they’re hoping that a commercial product might support personal safety and comfort in healthcare settings.
With further development, they say, the technology could pick up safety concerns, such as injury risk and fatigue, and prevent accidents before they occur.
It might even join the ear-saver, which stops surgical masks from ripping your ears to shreds, on the list of healthcare must-haves.
While not a dedicated follower of healthcare fashion, The Back Page will certainly look out for the new boot when browsing for a new pair of Doctor Martens.
Got a great idea? Kick it on over to penny@medicalrepublic.com.au.
