Sole Survivors: Designing Energy-Absorbing Orthotics
Students create their orthotic by adding different foams to parts of an orthotic to meet the needs of their foot problem.Copyright Faith Kutzer, used with permission.
Students act as biomedical engineers and follow the engineering design process to create and test custom orthotic insoles. They begin by asking questions to learn about foot-related medical problems, such as plantar fasciitis and flat feet, and identify how orthotics can help reduce pain or pressure. Next, they imagine possible insole designs that could support the foot and reduce impact during movement. During the plan stage, students sketch their ideas and select materials with varying foam densities to provide targeted support for their chosen foot condition. They then create a prototype orthotic using foam and hot glue based on their plan. To test their designs, students drop a weighted ball onto kinetic sand with and without their orthotics, measuring the depth of impact to determine how much pressure their design absorbs. Afterward, they improve their designs by analyzing test data, identifying areas of success, and considering modifications.
Biomedical engineers study how the body interacts with materials and devices, then design and test solutions such as orthotics, prosthetics, and medical equipment to prevent injury or aid healing. For example, companies such as BMW employ engineers to address foot problems that arise from long hours of standing, using data and testing to develop orthotics that reduce impact and pressure. In this activity, students mirror that process by graphing data to refine their designs, gaining experience with skills biomedical engineers use daily. These concepts are essential in both sports and medicine, where understanding energy transfer, cushioning, and material behavior helps create products that protect, support, and enhance human performance.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe how kinetic energy relates to the mass and speed of a moving object and how it transfers through materials.
- Design and build a prototype orthotic insole using different foam densities to reduce pressure on the foot.
- Collect, graph, and interpret data to evaluate the effectiveness of their orthotic design in cushioning impact forces.