Articles of sports equipment, such as striking implements (e.g., sticks) and wearable articles (e.g., skates, helmets) for playing hockey or other activities, in which at least one of the characteristics (e.g., stiffness) of the articles of sports equipment is adaptable and can be altered during use of the sports equipment, such as by comprising an alterable component coupled to a controller, by comprising an alterable component that is autonomously alterable, and/or by an alterable component that can be altered in response to a command of a remote device.

A system for analysis of user gait and to provide correction in form of haptic and visual feedback. This system comprises a motion and force sensors and a haptic actuator embedded in the user shoe insoles in communication with a smart-phone based analysis application, configured to calculate motion and orientation of the user feet in relation to the value, location and distribution of ground reaction forces measured by sensors located in the shoe insoles and after analysis of said forces and motion, to provide haptic feedback to the user foot instructing about the location (and timing) of pressure the user must apply to achieve an optimal gait.

A system for analysis of user gait and to provide correction in form of haptic and visual feedback. This system comprises a motion and force sensors and a haptic actuator embedded in the user shoe insoles in communication with a smart-phone based analysis application, configured to calculate motion and orientation of the user feet in relation to the value, location and distribution of ground reaction forces measured by sensors located in the shoe insoles and after analysis of said forces and motion, to provide haptic feedback to the user foot instructing about the location (and timing) of pressure the user must apply to achieve an optimal gait.

A skate boot or other piece of footwear is provided with a flexible midfoot section that is not rigidly connected to either a sole and/or base of the boot, in order to adjustably tighten around the bottom, sides, and/or top of the wearer's midfoot to provide arch support and uniform snugness. The midfoot section is in a hammock type arrangement while the ball and heel portions of the wearer's foot rests on the footbed over the respective sole portions.

A skate including a tongue mounted to a boot of the skate. The tongue has an upper end and a lower end, and a medial edge and a lateral edge, and a longitudinal center axis of the tongue extends between the upper and lower ends and is spaced equidistantly between segments of the medial and lateral edges. The longitudinal center axis divides the tongue into a medial segment and a lateral segment. The medial and lateral segments are asymmetrical about the longitudinal center axis.

Functional shoes include a sole, a coupling member including a coupling body detachably coupled to the sole; an auxiliary lever coupled to the coupling body so as to be rotatable toward a bottom surface of the sole; and a fixing part protruding from the auxiliary lever toward the bottom surface of the sole and is detachably coupled to the sole, and at least one functional member provided integrally with the coupling body or detachably coupled to the coupling body to provide a predetermined function to the shoes. The fixing part moves between a coupling position in which the fixing part is coupled to the sole and a separation position in which the fixing part is separated from the sole, by a rotation of the auxiliary lever.

Functional shoes include a sole, a coupling member including a coupling body detachably coupled to the sole; an auxiliary lever coupled to the coupling body so as to be rotatable toward a bottom surface of the sole; and a fixing part protruding from the auxiliary lever toward the bottom surface of the sole and is detachably coupled to the sole, and at least one functional member provided integrally with the coupling body or detachably coupled to the coupling body to provide a predetermined function to the shoes. The fixing part moves between a coupling position in which the fixing part is coupled to the sole and a separation position in which the fixing part is separated from the sole, by a rotation of the auxiliary lever.

A functional shoe includes a sole, a functional part to provide a specific function to the functional shoe, a fixing part provided to fix the functional part; and a coupling part provided to be coupled to the fixing part, and directly or indirectly coupled to the sole, at an opposite side to a side coupled to the fixing part. The fixing part includes a fixing body provided to be coupled to the functional part, and a leg member formed to extend from the fixing body in a reference direction which is a direction facing the sole from the fixing body. The coupling part includes an insertion slot provided inside the coupling part to be open in a direction opposite to the reference direction such that the leg member is inserted into the insertion slot.

A physical position of motorized footwear in a physical environment may be tracked, and movement of the footwear may be translated into corresponding movement in a virtual environment. When a distance between the motorized footwear and a boundary of an operational zone defined in the physical environment is less than or equal to a threshold distance, a motor of the motorized shoe may be actuated. Actuation of the motor may in turn actuate a locomotion device of the motorized footwear, to move the motorized footwear back into a return zone defined within the operational zone. This may allow the user to walk, seemingly endlessly in the virtual environment, while remaining within a defined physical space in the physical environment.

An athletic skate body has an integrated leather vamp main body, a heel accessory piece, multiple strengthening pieces, a tongue, a shoe lining, an inner board, and a sole. The integrated leather vamp main body has a seamless toe box surface portion and a first lateral surface portion and a second lateral surface portion extending rearward from two sides of the toe box surface portion. The first and the second lateral surface portions are sewed with a heel accessory piece and thus a heel portion is formed. With the seamless toe box surface portion, strength of a head portion of the athletic skate body is enhanced, and a vamp base can be cut into shape by automation equipment. Thus, with the plane and integral vamp base attached with multiple strengthening pieces precisely, the manpower is saved and the quality of the athletic skate body is improved.