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I have seen a graphical representation of a person's bare feet and how their body mass is distributed across their feet bottoms by color coding the pressure at each coordinate and over time showing how their feet are moving to different positions on two compared surfaces as they shift their feet while standing relatively statically.

Color coded representation of pressure points under feet over time

I'm a bit of a novice here, but am wondering if there are some DIY ways to collect this data overtime. For example, collect force readings on a surface at (x, y) locations spread out around 3 mm apart from each other in both x and y in a lattice. The force readings should be collected around 3 times or more per second. The measuring device needs to be unobtrusive in that it is very thin (i.e., ~1mm thick) and should not significantly impact the feel of the surface it is being overlaid upon, (i.e., it conforms to the surface and is flexible).

Is trying to find an Arduino platform a reasonable approach that will not be too complex for a novice?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ @Nick Alexeev I've edited the question, please let me know if this is now specific enough about my situation and the specific problem I'm trying to solve. \$\endgroup\$
    – WilliamKF
    Commented Jul 25, 2015 at 16:53
  • \$\begingroup\$ I think the problem mainly resides in "without the need to write custom software, build new hardware, etc.". This is not a site about purchasing advices, unless they are strongly related to something you want to design and build yourself. Simple gadgets that work by themselves, or Lego-like approaches (put blocks together without any clue about EE design) is not on-topic. If you don't want to learn something about EE design (and this entails writing firmware, building hardware or both - even if simple), this is not the right site to ask. \$\endgroup\$
    – LorenzoDonati4Ukraine-OnStrike
    Commented Jul 25, 2015 at 21:19
  • \$\begingroup\$ @LorenzoDonati I've edited the question to try and make it on topic. Hope is for a solution appropriate for a novice. \$\endgroup\$
    – WilliamKF
    Commented Jul 26, 2015 at 20:21
  • \$\begingroup\$ Almost the same question: electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/35126/… \$\endgroup\$
    – got trolled too much this week
    Commented Nov 27, 2015 at 7:50

2 Answers 2

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You are looking at a "force touch" [probably capacitive] matrix sensor. It's not unlike the "3D" sensor in the iPhone 6S. This not a project for a beginner unless you get the sensor and some IC that can already handle most of the data processing. With Apple having adopted this, you can expect more ICs for this to become more widely available.

In the mean-time you can read this Reuters story about who make similar tech screens: NextInput etc. And if you have the OEM pull of Apple:

  • Taiwan's TPK Holding Co Ltd is a major supplier of Apple's 3D Touch, or Force Touch technology, according to supply chain sources. It provides touch sensors to makers of liquid crystal displays, which are installed inside the phone.

  • Vibration motors are then installed during the final stage of product assembly. These motors are crucial in detecting signals from pressure sensors, which activate when a finger touches the screen. According to one industry source, Japan's Nidec Corp is likely to be the sole supplier of the motors, at least initially.

Earlier news stories reported that NextInput's force tech was going to be used in the iPhone 6S, but that seems not have been ultimately the case. I suspect these startups have some eval kits you can buy [if you call them, nothing listed on their sites], but if you want to replicate them from scratch... it's undoubtedly not for beginners.

... or maybe it is depending on the level of accuracy needed. The Arduino store lists a pressure matrix sensor: https://store.arduino.cc/product/MK00544

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There are off-the-shelf products. https://www.tekscan.com/tekscan-technology i saw this one a couple of weeks ago, it's amazing.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Yeah, for that feet pressure app, something less sensitive [than the iPhone 6S level solution] would work just fine. \$\endgroup\$
    – got trolled too much this week
    Commented Nov 27, 2015 at 7:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ Not fine. Would just work. Resolution of 300dpi for such sensor is not feasible and not required by probably any application. \$\endgroup\$
    – user76844
    Commented Nov 27, 2015 at 7:48

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