“We want to develop the first smart insoles for runners that allow them to track their training sessions”

David González and Marisol Gómez entered this year's Impulso Emprendedor competition with an initiative focused on the rehabilitation of stroke patients: a smart sensor capable of measuring the force applied by the hand.

The name of this project is SmartFlex Sensor, and as David explains, “it has changed quite a bit since the beginning. The technology had potential for other applications—which we had already mentioned in the proposal—and we’ve decided to target a broader market.”

Without neglecting the rehabilitation field where they started and in which they remain deeply involved, they are set to enter the world of sports with the first smart insoles for runners that allow them to track their training sessions using the soles of their feet.

These insoles will track metrics similar to those tracked by watches or fitness trackers. But, as David explains, the fact that they are in contact with the foot “will allow us to gather other metrics, such as a map of the areas of the foot that bear the most weight, or whether a runner’s stride is symmetrical. We’re also exploring the idea of creating communities of runners where they can compare their data.”

“We’re already working on a prototype insole. And, in addition to its use in sports, we’re collaborating with the University of Navarra to explore its potential for patients with Parkinson’s disease, with the goal of monitoring their gait,” he notes.

Question everything

SmartFlex Sensor (whose team now includes Aimar Yeregui) won second prize at the 2021 InÍciate Awards, a competition for scientific and technological ideas and projects. In addition to the cash prize, this award also meant that the team was shortlisted for the Impulso Emprendedor program. “We were lucky enough to be one of the teams selected and to be able to participate.”

For David, Impulso has provided “an opportunity to question everything—from basic things we take for granted to issues we wouldn’t have gotten around to addressing for some time if it weren’t for their help.”

Both personally and for the project, he considers it “a privilege to have the expertise of the professionals and mentor companies who are guiding us along this path.”