Health IT, Startups

Running shoe sensor could allow payers to create “pay as you exercise” policies

One of the biggest problems with running shoes — any shoes, really — is that […]

One of the biggest problems with running shoes — any shoes, really — is that most people tend not to replace them until they become painful to wear. A digital health company ParaWare LLC has developed an insert called Mino that measures the force of the impact the wearer makes in their stride. The company is one of a group of 350 healthcare startup semi-finalists in the Mass Challenge competition.

Aaron Burke, the president and co-founder, previously worked as a medical device engineer with Accellant and trained as an engineer at Northeastern University. The device represented the culmination of his work there.

Here’s how it works. A new pair of shoes would receive the insert. When it is first used, all the white lights on the device appear. But gradually as the shoes get more use, the lights gradually shut off until finally a red light switches on, showing the shoe is worn out.

Burke said, “I am measuring the destruction of the cushioning [of the shoe]. I think people are poor measurers of their shoe lifespan. They usually replace their shoes when their feet start to hurt. That’s like replacing your brakes after you’ve had an accident.”

Although the company sells the device directly to consumers and to sports stores, it wants to work with insurers to use the shoe insert to demonstrate adherence to care plans that include exercise, such as walking or jogging. Burke likens it to what car insurers have done with telematics (pdf), using wireless devices to transmit data in real time back to an organization. Auto insurance companies use the data to develop more accurate pricing, including pay-as-you-drive and pay-how-you-drive policies. The data also improves risk management and allows better claims assessments.

Burke believes the technology could be applied to medical shoe wear as well, such as shoes for diabetics, to make it easier to assess adherence. It could also lower healthcare costs from ankle and foot injuries caused when shoes wear out.

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