The present disclosure is directed to a toe box insert configured to provide support between a wearer's toes and the end of a footwear. An exemplary toe box insert comprises a compressible material. The compressible material can be characterized by a firmness, a flexibility, and a springback. The firmness can provide rigidity to the footwear even when a force is applied on the toe box insert by a wearer. The flexibility can cause the toe box insert to indent in response to a force applied on the toe box insert by the wearer. The springback can cause the toe box insert to return to an original shape after a force applied by a wearer ceases.

An apparatus for making an article of footwear is provided. The apparatus may include a last shaped to resemble a human foot and being formed at least in part from a susceptor material that is thermally reactive to an electromagnetic field. The apparatus may also include an induction coil disposed proximate to the last and configured to produce an electromagnetic field that causes the susceptor material in the last to increase in temperature by induction heating.

A last for forming an upper of an article of footwear includes an exterior surface, where the exterior surface includes a plurality of three dimensional structural surface components disposed over at least 50% of the exterior surface of the last.

A microcellular shoe stiffener has at least one adhesive layer coextruded with and carried on a stiffener core. A liquid, such as liquid nitrogen, is introduced into the extruder for the stiffener core to produce a closed cell foam with a gaseous component. The gas reduces the weight and cost of the stiffener with out significantly reducing stiffness and resiliency.

A boot comprises: an outsole and an upper affixed to the outsole, the upper comprising a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) upper body and a composite toe cap. The composite toe cap comprises a fiberglass reinforced polymer, and the composite toe cap comprises a tapered surface.

A last for forming an upper of an article of footwear includes an exterior surface, where the exterior surface includes a plurality of three dimensional structural surface components disposed over at least 50% of the exterior surface of the last.

A device is provided for locating a moving object or person in a space partially equipped with inductive surfaces. The device comprises magnetic detection means configured to detect the presence of the object or of the person on or close to an inductive surface, measure a heading angle by way of two simultaneous measurement points and generate dated reference heading angle data for the object or for the person; inertial detection means configured to generate estimated angular speed and acceleration data for the object or for the person; and calculation means coupled to the magnetic and inertial detection means, configured to combine the dated reference heading angle data with the estimated data in order to generated corrected position and orientation data for the object or for the person in the space.

Footwear is provided including a protective toe element in the form of a rigid protective toe guard nested in a recess defined by a sole component so that the toe guard is of a low profile and has an at least partially closed bottom which cleanly transitions to an upper surface of the sole component. The footwear and its components provide impact and crushing force resistance, yet the footwear is low profiled and flexible enough to provide enhanced mobility and comfort to a wearer.

A track and field shoe can include an upper and a sole structure. The upper includes a medial side portion, a lateral side portion, and a toe box portion. The sole structure is attached to the upper and includes a spike plate. The spike plate has an anterior portion, a posterior portion, a plurality of spikes, and a plurality of rails. The spikes extend in an inferior direction from the anterior portion of the spike plate and are configured for engaging a track surface. The rails extend in a superior direction from the anterior portion of the spike plate and extend over an exterior surface of the toe box portion of the upper, and the rails comprise longitudinal axes that extend in a superior/inferior direction.

A footwear device (15, 18, 19, 20, 50, 60,70, 80) has a body comprising one or more strips or sheets of material. Footwear device has an outerside (6) and a footwear contact underside (7). The one or more strips or sheets of material may be resiliently deformable material. An adhesive (8) may be disposed on the footwear contact underside (7).