Plantar pressure distribution is a thoroughly recognized parameter for evaluating foot structure and biomechanical behavior, as it is utilized to determine musculoskeletal conditions and diagnose foot abnormalities. Experimental testing is currently being utilized to investigate static foot conditions using invasive and noninvasive techniques. These methods are usually expensive and laborious, and they lack valuable data since they only evaluate compressive forces, missing the complex stress combinations the foot undergoes while standing. The present investigation applied medical and engineering methods to predict pressure points in a healthy foot soft tissue during normal standing conditions. Thus, a well-defined three-dimensional foot biomodel was constructed to be numerically analyzed through medical imaging. Two study cases were developed through a structural finite element analysis. The first study was developed to evaluate barefoot behavior deformation and stresses occurring in the plantar region. The results from this analysis were validated through baropodometric testing. Subsequently, a customized 3D model total-contact foot orthosis was designed to redistribute peak pressures appropriately, relieving the plantar region from excessive stress. The results in the first study case successfully demonstrated the prediction of the foot sole regions more prone to suffer a pressure concentration since the values are in good agreement with experimental testing. Employing a customized insole proved to be highly advantageous in fulfilling its primary function, reducing peak pressure points substantially. The main aim of this paper was to provide more precise insights into the biomechanical behavior of foot pressure points through engineering methods oriented towards innovative assessment for absolute customization for orthotic devices.

This study presents a three-dimensional finite element (FE) analysis of the human foot bone structure under mid-stance loading during race walking. A subject-specific biomodel comprising 26 bones and over 40 ligaments was reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) data using Materialise Mimics Research 21.0 and 3-Matic Research 13.0, and subsequently analyzed in ANSYS Workbench 2024 R1. The model included explicit cortical, trabecular, and ligamentous volumes, each assigned linear-elastic, isotropic material properties based on biomechanical literature data. Boundary conditions simulated the mid-stance phase of race walking, applying a distributed plantar pressure of 0.25 MPa over the metatarsal and phalangeal regions. Numerical simulations yielded maximum total displacements of 0.00018 mm, maximum von Mises stresses of 0.171 MPa, and maximum strains of 2.5 × 10⁻⁵, all remaining well within the elastic range of bone tissue. The results confirm the model’s numerical stability, geometric fidelity, and capacity to represent physiologically realistic loading responses. The developed framework demonstrates the potential of high-resolution, image-based finite element modelling for investigating stress–strain patterns of the foot during athletic gait, and establishes a reproducible reference for future analyses involving pathological gait, orthotic optimisation, and musculoskeletal load assessment in sports biomechanics.

The rapid proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in urban and peri-urban environments has increased concern regarding drone-generated acoustic emissions, particularly in multirotor platforms whose tonal and broadband noise is strongly influenced by propeller blade geometry. This study presents a CFD-based aeroacoustic assessment framework to examine the influence of key geometric modifications on the acoustic signature of a representative multirotor propeller while preserving aerodynamic performance. A baseline quadrotor propeller was analyzed using Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations coupled with the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy and Brooks–Pope–Marcolini (BPM) broadband noise estimation. The blade geometry was parameterized in terms of leading-edge sweep, tip chord, blade twist, and trailing-edge serration features, and representative low-noise configurations were evaluated under operating conditions ranging from 3000 to 6000 RPM and advance ratios between 0 and 0.3. The results indicate that combined swept-serrated geometries provide the most favorable noise–performance trade-off, with a predicted reduction of up to 4.8 dB(A) relative to the baseline at the design condition, while maintaining thrust and figure of merit within practical engineering margins. The proposed framework provides a transferable computational basis for the systematic design of low-noise propellers for surveillance UAVs, commercial multirotors, and emerging urban air mobility applications.

The soft Bankart lesion is characterized by the abnormal translation of the humeral head during dislocation, which places excessive stress on the labrum and causes it to stretch along with other structures that provide joint stability. This lesion is described as a purely soft tissue injury and occurs due to the detachment of the anteroinferior labroligamentous complex. This research aimed to evaluate the computational biomechanics of a biomodel of the shoulder joint with a soft Bankart lesion during pure abduction using the Finite Element Method (FEM). It evaluates the tissue mechanics of the structures with the lesion, such as ligaments, the articular capsule, and the labrum, which guide and limit the bones of the joint during movement. A healthy shoulder joint biomodel is developed for comparison. The results of stress and strain in the healthy shoulder and the soft Bankart biomodel are analyzed. The results for the soft Bankart biomodel show an increase in stress on the MGHL, with the pIGHL assuming a primary stabilizing role. The CHL and articular capsule limit the excessive displacement of the humeral head.