Cooptimized Sensing and Sole Mechanics Enable Embodied‐Intelligence Design of User‐Specific Smart Footwear

Journal article

Research in embodied intelligence has proven that the embodiment of a system, its physical structure and morphology, shapes how it senses and processes information. Here, we introduce an embodied codesign framework for user‐centric wearables and apply it to the design of smart footwear. The pipeline jointly optimizes mechanical and sensing properties of the 3D printed lattice sole for efficient and effective plantar pressure monitoring. The result is a customized wearable device with tuned regional properties and minimal onboard sensing capable of real‐time centre‐of‐pressure tracking in line with commercial pressure plate devices while reducing sensor count and energy demand. Furthermore, our embodied codesign improves sensitivity by 52% with respect to uniform stiffness state‐of‐the‐art design approaches, demonstrating how cooptimizing structure and sensing can transform wearables into morphologically intelligent systems, paving the way toward predictive, energy‐efficient, and personalized health monitoring.

Authors: Zhong, F; Pontin, M; Zavatsky, A; Maiolino, P

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Advanced Intelligent Systems
• Article number: e70452
• Publication date: 2026-06-09
• Acceptance date: 2026-05-25
• DOI: 10.1002/aisy.70452
• EISSN: 2640-4567
• ISSN: 2640-4567
• Language: English
• Keywords: soft sensing; lattice materials; embodied cognition; wearable systems; gait (human)