In some examples, a sole layer for a footwear includes a housing structure, a cell in the housing structure, a solid support inside the cell to maintain a shape of the cell, and an inlet to the cell to receive an injected material to dissolve the solid support.

An insole installed on top of existing footwear with a sealed chamber extending across the plantar surface of the foot filled with a fluid that can traverse across the chamber in response to pressure caused by a weight shift by the wearer. The movement of the fluid (which may be a liquid, gas, or gel) serves to massage the foot muscles and tendons, release toxins, and increase circulation. The chamber may also have restrictions or unique shapes to guide the fluid for maximum effectiveness.

A plantar surface pressure offloading system includes an insole capable of coupling with a shoe and interfacing with a foot. A number of compressible bladders and pressure sensors are coupled to the insole. Each bladder has an adjustable compressibility, and each pressure sensor is configured to measure a pressure exerted on a respective portion of the foot. A controller of the system can perform, for each compressible bladder, a compressibility adjustment process including (i) receiving, from a respective pressure sensor associated with a respective bladder, a signal indicative of a pressure exerted on a respective portion of the foot, (ii) determining, based on the signal, that the pressure exerted on the respective portion of the foot exceeds a threshold pressure, and (iii) responsive to the determination, adjusting the compressibility of the respective bladder, thereby offloading pressure from the respective portion of the foot to a different portion of the foot.

A sole includes a base layer, an intermediate layer, and a top layer. The base layer has a predetermined thickness. The intermediate layer is made of a gel of non-Newtonian fluid. The intermediate layer is sandwiched between the base layer and the top layer to engage the base layer and the top layer together.

An insole having a top sheet, a base layer, a forefoot pad, a heel cushion, and stability cradle. The forefoot pad can be made a blown EVA or other material, and the heel cushion can be made of a clear TPR, soft polyurethane or blown EVA. A heel cup surrounds the exterior back by a heel cup, and a heel pod opening and midfoot pod opening is located in the stability cradle for allowing placement of heel pads and midfoot pads in a replacement manner. There is also a soft metatarsal raised dome on the top (foot contact) surface of the insole which would be directly above the metatarsal midfoot area.

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.

A reusable, customizable shoe-insole having malleable support material configured to assume a first arch-support structure and a first metatarsal-support structure responsively to application of foot pressure of a first user and maintain the first arch-support structure and the first metatarsal-support structure during the absence of foot pressure and assume a new arch-support structure and a new metatarsal-support structure responsively to each new application of foot pressure of additional users.

Provided are dynamic cushioning systems (e.g., for use in insoles, orthoses, shoes, etc.), comprising: a fluid chamber (e.g., 100, 200) having at least one flexible fluid reservoir cell in each of a hindfoot and a forefoot portion, and having at least one main fluid transfer channel spanning a midfoot portion and connecting, in fluid exchange communication, the at least one hindfoot fluid reservoir cell with the at least one forefoot fluid reservoir cell to provide a reactive network of hindfoot and/or forefoot fluid reservoir cells in fluid exchange communication. The interconnected multi-reservoir networks provide optimal reactivity and dynamic positional cushioning by controlling fluid transfer rate(s) between and among the fluid reservoir cells. Also provided are methods for making the fluid chambers, along with insoles, orthoses, shoes, and other footwear, etc., comprising same.

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.