Dr. Aseel Mohammed Ali Hussein, a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the College of Engineering, Al-Nahrain University, has been granted a patent by the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control - Industrial Property Department in Iraq. The patent is titled:

"A Low-Cost Podoscope for Extracting Morphological Features of the Foot"

This achievement was accomplished in collaboration with Biomedical Engineer Ruba Musaad Taha Huwaish from Al-Furat General Hospital - Baghdad Health Department - Al-Karkh, and Consultant Orthopedic and Trauma Surgeon Dr. Walid Abdul Hassan Abdul Wahid from the Medical City Teaching Complex - Dar Al-Nursing Special Hospital.

The patent addresses the importance of the foot's role in maintaining body balance and stability during walking. Foot deformities are one of the causes that disrupt the mechanics of balance and movement, negatively affecting the joints of the lower limbs. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop techniques to measure the extent of foot deformities. Among the devices designed to visually assess the extent of foot deformities is the podoscope. However, traditional podoscopes are generally expensive, complex to operate, and rely heavily on the operator's expertise.

As a result, the goal of this study was to develop an easy-to-use, low-cost podoscope using readily available materials, while providing accurate results for assessing foot deformities. The proposed system offers precise estimation of clinical indicators for foot deformities. The device's operation is straightforward: the patient stands barefoot on the device, and a dome-type camera captures images of the feet. These images are then sent to a computer for processing to calculate the Arch Index (AI), Chippaux-Smirak Index (CSI), Staheli Index (SI), and Wejsflog's Index. Ten individuals were tested using the proposed device, and the calculated indices accurately determined the extent of foot deformities.

The proposed podoscope is easy to install and operate, cost-effective, accurate, and capable of providing a database to monitor the improvement in foot deformities before and after surgery. Its economic feasibility makes it suitable for use in countries where individuals have lower socio-economic statuses.