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.

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 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.

Provided is a heeling apparatus. The heeling apparatus includes a sole including a forefoot portion and a heel portion. The heel portion has an opening formed therein. In one embodiment, the sole includes a removable portion. The heeling apparatus further includes a wheel assembly including wheel rotably mounted to an axle and a mounting structure, wherein the wheel extends through the opening in the heel portion.

A boot for a roller skate system has a three-point fastening system for fastening the boot to a rail. The three-point fastening system includes three fastening devices, wherein the first fastening device is arranged in a central position in the heel region of the boot, the second fastening device is arranged on an outer side in the ball region of the boot, and the third fastening device is arranged on an inner side in the ball region of the boot. The rail that can be mounted on the boot is also described.

A skate with a stowable and/or removable roller, blade, ski, or track assembly. A skate has: a shoe; a guiding part mounted to the shoe; a roller, blade, ski, or track assembly mounted to move along the guiding part between a deployed position and a stowed position adjacent a calf or ankle part of the shoe; and a handle connected to move the roller, blade, ski, or track assembly between the deployed position and the stowed position. Related methods include moving the roller, blade, ski, or track assembly between the positions, and locking or unlocking the assembly in either position, for example using a handle.

There is provided an insole for a sport footwear, the insole comprises: a forefoot portion comprising an incliner for inclining a foot of a wearer towards an outer side of the insole, a midfoot portion having an arch extending from an underside of the insole, and a rearfoot portion comprising an incliner for inclining the foot of the wearer towards the outer side of the insole. Such an insole can be effective for maintaining a linear motion of the knee of the user. Moreover such an insole can be effective for maintaining the foot of the person inclined outwardly. Thus, the body weight of the person can also be shifted outwardly, which improves balance.

A skate boot shell including a tridimensional outer sub-shell made of a first material, the outer sub-shell including a first sole portion connected to first heel, ankle and side portions; a tridimensional inner sub-shell received within and connected to the outer sub-shell, an outer surface of the inner sub-shell being complementary to an inner surface of the outer sub-shell, the inner sub-shell being made of a second material different from the first material; and a tridimensional reinforcement sub-shell made of a third material different from the first and second materials and bonded inside at least one of the inner and outer sub-shells.

A skate (e.g., an ice skate) for a user (e.g., a hockey player). The skate comprises a skate boot for receiving a foot of the user and a skating device (e.g., a blade and a blade holder) disposed beneath the skate boot to engage a skating surface. The skate boot may be designed to better fit the user's foot and/or enhance skating performance of the user, such as by being shaped in accordance with anatomy of toes of the user's foot and/or enhancing integrity of the skate boot.