The invention relates to articles of footwear having traction elements, and systems and methods for manufacturing same. An example shoe includes an upper and a sole plate, the sole plate including a lower surface adapted for ground contact having a first sole portion including first traction elements, the first traction elements having a distal end and a side wall with extensions extending from a central core, and a second sole portion including second traction elements, the second traction elements having at least one geometrical feature differing in one or more aspects from a corresponding geometrical feature of the first traction elements.

An intelligent shoe comprises one or more sensorial devices configured to generate sensorial signals to instruct a wearer to walk along a pedestrian path. The intelligent shoe is configured to cause a current location of the wearer to be determined and to obtain a pedestrian path between the current location and the destination location. The intelligent shoe then causes the one or more sensorial devices to generate sensorial signals, instructing the wearer to move along the pedestrian path.

Numerous aspects of communication devices, methods, and systems are described in this application. One aspect is an apparatus comprising an energy generator comprising a plurality of generator elements operable to output a plurality of different energy types in a signal direction toward the skin. Each generator element of the plurality of generator elements may be independently operable, when the energy generator is positioned relative to skin, to communicate with different nerves associated with the skin by outputting a different portion of an energy signal in the signal direction toward the skin with one energy type of the plurality of different energy types.

A foot-based wearable system disposed proximate to the dorsalis pedis artery can detect cardiac and muscular activities. Utilizing flexible iontronic sensing (FITS) technology, a sensing array detects both cardiovascular functions, such as heart rate, ECG, and respiration and motion artifact signals with a spatial reference to muscular activities based on the orientation of the array. Individual tendon responses are analyzed and correlated to different pedal gestures, from which multi-channel signals can be used to distinguish different activities. Wearable articles of the invention include a platform to simultaneously analyze both vital signals and body activities from the cardiac waveforms and muscular responses in a natural and unnoticeable fashion. The data-collecting wearable system provides a means to assess personalized health and daily activities on a continuous basis.

A smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized, wherein the smartphone device is configured to actively control the configuration of one or more bladders, compartments, chambers or internal sipes and one or more sensors located in either one or both of a sole or a removable inner sole insert of the footwear of the user and/or located in an apparatus worn or carried by the user, glued unto the user, or implanted in the user. The one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, or sipes, and one or more sensors are configured for computer control. A sole and/or a removable inner sole insert for footwear, including one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, internal sipes and sensors in the sole and/or in a removable insert; or on an insole; all being configured for control by a smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized.

The present invention presents a device for calculating, during one step or each successive step of the gait of a subject, the push-off P.sub.0 of the subject, which is the power per kilogram released by the ankle push-off moment, which comprises: at least one inertial measurement unit (1A, 1B) on one foot of the subject, the inertial measurement unit (1A, 1B) having: at least one accelerometer to measure the vertical and antero-posterior accelerations and/or at least one gyroscope to measure the medic-lateral angular speed data {acute over (α)} during the gait, storage and calculation means (2A) connected to the Inertial measurement unit (1A, 1B), configured to calculate: for the foot, and for the step or each successive step of the gait:—the time of the heel-off and the time of the toe-off,—the push-off P.sub.0, by the Euler's equation stating that the sum of moments acting on the foot taken as a rigid body, being equal to the rate of change of the angular momentum of the foot, with the calculation of the push-off P.sub.0 at the time of the toe-off where the sagittal angular momentum is at its maximum in absolute value, displaying means (2B) connected to the storage and calculation means (2A).

The invention relates to a system for analyzing (1) the use of footwear items (11) configured to determine an association index between use parameter values (101) and shoe parameter values (201), said system a calculation computing device (30) configured for: Obtaining or loading posture or mobility parameter values (301) calculated from raw data generated by at least one connected sole (10); Obtaining or loading geographic parameter values (401) corresponding to a location of the at least one connected sole (10); Obtaining or loading shoe parameter values (201) including values of structural parameters, geometric parameters and/or aesthetic parameters of the footwear item (11); Calculating one or more use parameter values (101); Determining an association index value between the use parameter value(s) (101) and the shoe parameter values (201).

A control system for use within an adaptive support garment is discussed herein. The control system can include a lace spool, a ratchet mechanism, an actuator, and a control circuit. The lace spool can include a lace groove adapted to accumulate a portion of a lace cable coupled to a support structure within the adaptive support garment. The ratchet mechanism can be configured to control rotation of the lace spool during operation of the control system. The actuator can be adapted to control engagement of the ratchet mechanism. The control circuit electrically can be coupled to the actuator and can be configured to operate the actuator to engage or disengage the ratchet mechanism. In operation, rotation of the lace spool controls an effective length of the lace cable to provide adaptive support.

A method and system for heterogeneous event detection. Sensor data is obtained and divided into discrete data windows. Each data window is defined by and corresponds to a time period of the sensor data. A time-frequency representation over the time period is calculated for each data window. A filter mask is calculated based on the data window corresponding to the time-frequency representation. The filter mask is applied for reverting the time-frequency representation to a time representation, resulting in filtered data. Features, such as extrema or other inflection points, are identified in the filtered data. The features define events, and transforming the time-frequency representation back into the time domain emphasizes differences between more and less prominent frequencies, facilitating identification of heterogeneous events. The method and system may be applied to body movements of people or animals, automaton movement, audio signals, light intensity, or any suitable time-dependent variable.

To provide objective indications of the progression of peripheral neuropathy of patients, a transmitter apparatus is utilized to produce reproducible pulse signals to specified locations on the human body to determine a minimum level of stimulation necessary to elicit a consciously detectable sensation through the generation of a series of pulse signals of varying intensities, and the recordation of the number of pulse signals felt by the patient. Moreover, the nerve velocity of the patient is additionally determined for a patient via the transmitter apparatus and a receiver apparatus detecting body-signals passing along a nerve within the patient and corresponding to the pulse signals applied to the patient. The results of these tests are recorded over time, thereby enabling generation of patient-specific models indicative of the progression of the patient's peripheral neuropathy over time.