Design and Development of a Podiatric Station Prototype for the Diagnosis of Diabetic Foot

Abstract

Diabetic foot is one of the most frequent complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus, characterized by the development of ulcers, infections, and a high risk of amputation. In Bolivia, approximately 6.5% of the adult population lives with this condition, and progressive foot injuries are common. In response to this problem, a functional prototype of a podiatric station—named PODIATECH—was designed and developed to support early diagnosis through structural and thermal foot analysis. The system comprises two main modules: a structural module that uses a flatbed scanner to capture the plantar footprint and applies the Hernández-Corvo index; and a thermal module that uses infrared imaging to detect temperature differences associated with circulatory alterations. The entire system is managed through a web-based platform that enables patient registration, clinical record consultation, and automated report generation. During preliminary validation, ten participants were evaluated, five of whom had a confirmed diagnosis of diabetes. In four of these cases, temperature differences greater than 2 °C were detected, corresponding to clinically relevant risk zones. No significant alterations were found in healthy participants. These results suggest that the system may serve as an effective tool for early diabetic foot screening. Further clinical trials with a larger sample size are recommended to assess the system’s performance and reliability in real-world settings.