An article of footwear and a method of manufacturing an article of footwear includes a strobel having a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region. The strobel may define a forefoot through hole in the forefoot region and a heel through hole in the heel region. The shape, the position, or both the shape and the position of the forefoot through hole and the heel through hole may be based on a foot pressure map. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear comprises securing a midsole to a strobel, wherein the strobel has a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region, the strobel defines a forefoot through hole in the forefoot region and a heel through hole in the heel region, and the shape and/or position of the forefoot through hole and the heel through hole are based on a foot pressure map.

A lower-leg exoskeleton that includes an inflatable actuator configured to be worn over a front portion of a leg of a user and configured to be disposed directly adjacent to and surrounding a joint of the leg of the user. The inflatable actuator is configured, when worn by the user, to receive and transmit an actuator load generated by the inflatable actuator around the joint of the user to a load contact point. Inflation of the inflatable actuator generates a moment about the joint of the user to cause flexion of the leg of the user.

Described herein are customized, intelligent outerwear created through additive manufacturing and integrated with a plurality of sensors, actuators and other electronics to monitor user activity and provide various diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities. The outerwear is additively manufactured using a three-dimensional (3D) printer to provide for dynamic configurations of the sensors, actuators and other electronics depending on the specific needs of an individual. In addition to sensors for tracking motion, resistance, temperature and temporal features, the actuators may include piezoelectric components and microfluidic components to provide for therapeutic treatments, medical treatments and accident avoidance features. The combination of sensors and other electronics may also provide applications for monitoring overall health and growth.

A pair of electronic shoe insoles aids an individual with peripheral neuropathy in walking without falling, despite the user having little or no sensation in her feet. Each insole uses a number of pressure sensors and provides various forms of biofeedback to the user such as auditory, haptic, and vibratory feedback which corresponds to the position of the user's foot on the ground. Vibration feedback is provided through vibration motors disposed against the soles of the user's feet at selected locations which correspond to locations of pressure sensors. This allows for direct neural stimulation of the sole of the foot at three biomechanically appropriate locations. Auditory and haptic feedback are provided through auxiliary devices that the user wears on appropriate parts of the body. Biofeedback transmitted through these mechanisms would correspond to change in foot position as detected by the pressure sensors. The shoe insoles may provide one or more of these forms of feedback, and other types of feedback may be provided by output devices as well. An embedded microcontroller wirelessly connected to a computer, tablet or phone permits an individual to monitor gait performance and to adjust numerous parameters of this biofeedback mechanism, such as time delays and strength of vibration or audio feedback. The device may also include a driving mode in which small variations of pressure on the gas pedal would be conveyed to the user through haptic and auditory feedback, thereby allowing the user to drive.

This disclosure relates to a computer-implemented system and related methods for the design, evaluation, and/or manufacture of protective patient footwear, such as shoes, braces, boots, casts, corrective footwear, and orthoses. The system includes suitable hardware, software, and related peripherals, which function to acquire data related to the patient's particular footwear needs, such as by image capture, including three-dimensional scanning. The system may also acquire data through other sources of input, such as through one or more sensors for detecting various physiologic parameters associated with the lower extremity, or through input of medical conditions, prior indicators, exam, analysis, lab results, or the like, such as through medical practitioner input or other input protocols. The various inputs may be suitably processed to generate output in the form of a design accommodation to design or modify the protective patient footwear, or in the form of one or more medical evaluations or recommendations.

Methods and apparatuses for designing custom footwear are disclosed. An apparatus for designing custom footwear may include a data collection system, a data processing system, and a manufacturing system, where the manufacturing system includes an additive manufacturing device. A method for designing custom footwear may comprise receiving user-specific data, generating a user model, identifying issues in the user model, determining corrective features, generating a custom footwear model, and manufacturing the custom footwear.

A lower-leg exoskeleton including an inflatable actuator that is configured to be worn over a front portion of a foot of a user; a rigid foot structure coupled to the inflatable actuator that is configured to surround a portion of a foot of the user; and a rigid shin structure coupled to the inflatable actuator and configured to engage the shin of the user. When worn by a user, the lower-leg exoskeleton can receive and transmit an actuator load generated by the inflatable actuator to a load contact point defined by the rigid foot structure which is forward of the heel of a user. Inflation of the inflatable actuator can generate a moment about the ankle of a user to cause flexion of the foot of the user.

A movement assistance device comprising a first element for rigidly connecting the device to one foot of a user and transmitting a thrust force to said foot; and a second element linked to the first element by link means and intended to be in contact with the ground; the device further comprises means for transmitting a force from an exogenous energy source, to the first element and/or to the second element, in order to separate them from each other.

A capacitive pressure detection insole is disclosed. The capacitive pressure detection insole includes a plurality of capacitive sensing nodes and an operating chip. When the capacitive pressure detection insole is subjected to a pressure provided by a foot of a user, the capacitive pressure detection insole uses the plurality of capacitive sensing nodes to sense a plurality of capacitance variations corresponding to a plurality of detection positions of the foot respectively. The operating chip receives the plurality of capacitance variations from the plurality of capacitive sensing nodes and obtains a pressure distribution information corresponding to the plurality of detection positions of the foot to determine a motion physiological status information of the foot of the user.

The present application provides a footwear for postoperative protection and rehabilitation. The protective footwear specifically structurally includes: a footwear body; an air bag system, provided at a position of the footwear body corresponding to a human metatarsal region; and a fixing frame, provided at the position of the footwear body corresponding to the human metatarsal region, wrapping a compressed air bag, and comprising a flat plate and two arc-shaped plates extending upward and inward from two sides of the flat plate; where, when a human foot is squeezed by gravity, air in a bottom air reservoir is squeezed into side-flap air reservoirs, such that the side-flap air reservoirs are inflated; and restricted by the fixing frame, the side-flap air reservoirs generate an inward pressure to the metatarsal region to reduce a tensile stress generated between metatarsals when the human foot moves. The footwear in the embodiments of the present application can replace a plaster cast to fix and protect the metatarsal region of the foot, and it is convenient to wear and disassemble without affecting postoperative examination and rehabilitation of the foot.