Described are shoes for ball sports including an upper having an outer surface. An actuator is configured to change at least one surface property of a portion of the outer surface of the upper, and a sensor is configured to be sensitive to movements of the shoe. A processing unit is connected to the actuator and the sensor and configured to process sensor data retrieved from the sensor and to cause the actuator to change the at least one surface property of the portion of the outer surface of the upper if a predetermined event is detected in the sensor data.

Systems for monitoring a user, and methods for manufacturing the same are described. Systems for monitoring a user may comprise a garment configured to be placed on a foot of a user comprising a conduit extending to a target sense location in a foot portion of the garment, one or more sensor assemblies each comprising a sensor arranged within the conduit, and a wireless communication module to communicate temperature data from a sensor to a computing device. Methods for manufacturing a system may comprise passing a sensor assembly into a conduit of a garment, the conduit extending to a foot portion of the garment, positioning the temperature sensor at a target sense location in the foot portion, coupling a distal portion of the sensor assembly to the garment to secure the sensor at the target sense location, and coupling a proximal portion of the sensor assembly to an electronics system.

A constant force spring system to achieve a substantially constant force curve, includes top and bottom load surfaces separated by a load compression distance therebetween; a main spring; at least one auxiliary linear spring acting on a last portion of the load compression distance to prevent load compression; a spreading linkage acting between the top load surface and the bottom load surface to prevent load compression thereof; and link hinges connecting the links, wherein the spreading linkage.

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.

It is an object of the present invention to array and utilize piezoelectric generators. It is also an object of the invention to implement properly configured piezoelectric generators into applications that can recapture expelled kinetic energy that is otherwise wasted. Particularly, piezoelectric generators, or arrays, may be, for example, placed in shoes, clothing, tires, roads, and sidewalks in order to recapture the energy expelled in everyday human activities (e.g., walking, moving, and driving).

A system may be provided for incorporation in an article of footwear that has an upper coupled to a sole, where the sole has an insole and an outsole and the upper and the insole define an interior space for receiving a foot of a user. The system may include a device configured to be coupled to the footwear beneath the user's foot and a structure for fixing the device in place in a predetermined position in the footwear. In such system, the structure may include a compressible portion coupled to a substantially incompressible portion, and the device may be directly supported by the hard plastic portion of the structure to provide a feedback signal to the user when a pressure applied to the device by the user's foot exceeds a threshold value.

Systems and methods for generating nitric oxide are disclosed. A nitic oxide (NO) generation system includes at least one pair of electrodes configured to generate a product gas containing NO from a flow of a reactant gas; and a controller configured to regulate the amount of nitric oxide in the product gas produced by the at least one pair of electrodes by utilizing duty cycle values of plasma pulses selected from a plurality of discrete duty cycles to produce a target rate of NO production based on an average of discrete production rates associated with each of the plurality of discrete duty cycles.

An article of footwear including an adaptive support system includes a plurality of support members. Each support member includes an outer chamber and an inner chamber, the inner chamber being filled with a magnetorheological fluid. An electromagnet is disposed adjacent to the inner chamber and can be used to vary the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid.

An orthotic device is disclosed. The orthotic device may be adapted to be inserted into a shoe to enable the foot to replicate normal motion so that the user regains substantially normal operation of the foot. The orthotic device may have a frame system formed of a lightweight supportive material and configured to extend along at least the bottom of the user's foot, and an electronically actuated muscle operatively connected to the frame system for expanding and contracting at predetermined levels to adjust the inclination of the user's foot and mimic movement of the foot, when functioning normally. The orthotic device may also have a controller operatively connected to the muscle for transmitting signals corresponding to the predetermined levels to the muscle, and a sensor controlled by the user for actuating the muscle.

A foot presence sensor system for an active article of footwear can include a sensor housing configured to be disposed at or in an insole of the article, and a controller circuit, disposed within the sensor housing, configured to trigger one or more automated functions of the footwear based on a foot presence indication. In an example, the sensor system includes a capacitive sensor configured to sense changes in a capacitance signal in response to proximity of a body. A dielectric member can be provided between the capacitive sensor and the body to enhance an output signal from the sensor.