The Team

Dr Mahdi Bodaghi, Nottingham Trent University

Partners:

Dr Ira Pande, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

CHEATA

Project Summary

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that profoundly affects hands/wrists/feet. RA frequently deforms the forefoot and rearfoot, making every day walking painful and unstable. RA rehabilitation predominantly combines physiotherapy and occupational therapy with assistive devices (e.g., foot orthoses/therapeutic footwear and splints) to reduce pain and improve function and quality of life. However, current therapeutic shoes are often heavy, poorly customised and cosmetically unacceptable, so many people stop using them.

META-SHOES will translate Nottingham Trent University’s metamaterials into patient-specific, 3D-printed wrap-around footwear that combines plantar off-loading with gentle toe realignment and rear/mid-foot control. Using structured Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement, we will freeze measurable, patient acceptable targets, then design a demonstrator with two main components: (a) a pressure redistributing plantar lattice with quasi-zero-stiffness constant-force bands and (b) a U-shaped dorsal cap/arch/posting module set. We will bench-check durability, verify toe realignment on a phantom, and run a three-week in-use pilot. Success equals clinically relevant pressure and shear reductions, improved toe/rearfoot alignment, higher comfort/ease-of-use, and no skin events.

The project produces an adoption/impact pack for the East Midlands, UKCA Class I/custom-made route, design for-manufacture and printing SOPs, bill of materials and micro-batch costings, NHS service/commercialisation pathway, and SME partnership.

Contact: mahdi.bodaghi@ntu.ac.uk