A digital podiatry clinic aimed at early detection and prevention of diabetic foot complications was inaugurated at IISc Health Centre in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
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A digital podiatry clinic aimed at the early detection and prevention of diabetic foot complications was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) here on Tuesday.
The Digital Podiatry Clinic (D-PoC), established by AI-powered health technology firm StrideAide, seeks to strengthen technology-enabled preventive foot care for people with diabetes and those at high risk of developing the condition.
The clinic integrates multiple diagnostic devices to assess key parameters such as plantar pressure, neuropathy and vascular insufficiency. The data is consolidated through StrideAide’s proprietary software platform, which uses artificial intelligence-driven algorithms for risk stratification and automated clinical reporting. The aim is to identify risks early and prevent foot ulcers, infections and amputations through standardised screening and structured digital workflows.
Each D-PoC unit can screen 30 to 40 patients a day and has the potential to assess over 10,000 people with diabetes annually at a district hospital level, enabling scalable deployment across secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.
Preventive care
“The Digital Podiatry Clinic represents a shift from reactive treatment to preventive care in diabetic foot management,” said Pavan Belehalli, founder-director of StrideAide.
Dr. Belehalli, who is also associate professor and head of the Department of Podiatry at the State-run Karnataka Institute of Endocrinology and Research (KIER), said the model combines clinical insight with smart engineering and AI-driven analytics to enable early risk identification at the point of care.
He added that the collaboration with IISc would help ensure clinical robustness while keeping the solution scalable and affordable for the public health system.
Plug-and-play model
The D-PoC follows a plug-and-play deployment model, allowing rapid adoption across diverse healthcare institutions. Plans are also under way to integrate StrideGPT, an AI-driven question-and-answer support system for clinicians and patients, to strengthen preventive care and reduce the socioeconomic burden of diabetic foot complications.
Sanjay Sharma, co-founder of StrideAide, said diabetic foot problems remain among the most underestimated contributors to disability and healthcare costs. Reliable screening tools and structured data, he said, could enable timely intervention and significantly reduce avoidable amputations.
IISc has been a key research and innovation partner in the development of the clinic, contributing expertise in smart engineering, predictive analytics and clinical validation through its faculty and the BeST Cluster ecosystem.
G. K. Ananthasuresh, Shriram Group RT Chair Professor in Mechanical Engineering at IISc and adviser to the initiative, said the clinic would generate valuable data to create digital twin models of an individual’s foot using principles of mechanics and AI. This could support predictive analytics and the design of customised dynamic offloading footwear to prevent and manage diabetic foot ulcers.
The inauguration was attended by IISc Director G. Rangarajan, Dean of Administration and Finance Anil Kumar, Chief Medical Officer of the IISc Health Centre Satish Rao, representatives of the BeST Cluster and members of the StrideAide leadership team.
Published – December 16, 2025 11:25 pm IST
