Rutgers engineers develop battery-free smart shoes

Engineers at Rutgers University have developed a battery-free smart shoe prototype designed to monitor gait and movement patterns. The technology utilizes the triboelectric effect, harvesting electricity from the pressure and friction generated by the wearer’s footsteps to power onboard sensors and artificial intelligence.

According to research published in Science Advances, the system uses an energy-harvesting layer embedded in the shoe's air cushion. A specialized power-management circuit converts irregular bursts of electricity into usable energy, making the design significantly more efficient than comparable wearable AI systems. The prototype achieved 95.4% accuracy in distinguishing between walking, running, and stair climbing, while also counting steps and estimating calories burned.

This development could eventually assist medical professionals in monitoring patients with movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, or traumatic brain injuries. Because gait serves as a significant biomarker for various diseases and rehabilitation progress, a self-powering device eliminates the issue of interrupted monitoring due to dead batteries.