Combining Artificial Intelligence and Footwear Improves Diabetes Treatment

Nair’s prototype neuromodulation device stimulated nerves with electrical pulses through the skin to improve nerve function. After testing it on himself to ensure the device was safe, Nair asked his mother to try it. “She had given up hope because she had suffered for more than a year, and nothing was working,” says Nair. His mother agreed to give his device a try.

“She was a little disheartened when she couldn’t feel anything the first time she tried it,” says Nair. “For the first four weeks, she didn’t have any kind of reaction to the neuromodulation stimulus. Then her legs started to respond.”

Now, eight years later, his mother can walk and complete her everyday tasks. She is also a cofounder of Xfinito Biodesigns, which aims to bring this technology to market. “She is helping us with accessibility design and looking at her own disability differently,” says Nair. That includes building an online, anonymous support group platform managed by people with disabilities to offer alongside the neuromodulation product.

The product, Xeuron.ai, is an intelligent platform focusing on consumer neurotechnology for medicine, holistic wellness, sports, gaming, and enterprise applications. As a medical application, the platform offers disease management for neurodegenerative diseases, including prevention, monitoring progression, targeted treatment, and clinicians’ decision support system. It aims to monitor and prevent complications from conditions such as diabetic neuropathy. “The foot is the first to be affected in many cases, leading to foot ulcers,” says Nair. That’s why the first wearable prototype in the Xeuron.ai platform takes the form of a smart, sleek sneaker equipped with electrodes and sensors inside.

Aside from diabetic neuropathy, the device has applications for other neurodegenerative disorders. Nair says they can implement the system in wearables other than footwear and customize it to meet the needs of people with conditions like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases.

“This footwear is an intelligent system that senses foot pressure, foot temperature, a person’s gait, and neuromuscular response to vibration or thermal or electrical stimuli,” says Nair. “We look at neuromotor activities and reflexes.”

Its design makes Xeuron unique among medical devices. Recently, Xfinito and Xeuron.ai caught the eye of a famous footwear designer. Mohammed Ehsan, who designed shoes for movie celebrities and cricket stars, contributed to creating the wearable.

In fact, Ehsan might wear it one day. “The reason he’s helping us is because he has Parkinson’s disease,” says Nair. “He started supporting us and allowed us to do a good job with this footwear.”

Not only could Xeuron.ai improve outcomes for people with neuropathy or other neurological conditions, but it could also improve access to care. With constant data collection from the footwear and the potential for patients to share data with their doctors, patients won’t need to worry about taking time off work or finding transportation to attend frequent appointments.