A test fixture for soles includes a sole member, a heel cushion, a sole connector, a ring-shaped airbag, a torque connector, and an attaching assembly. The heel cushion is disposed on a heel section of the sole member and sandwiched in between the sole member and the sole connector. The airbag is disposed on the sole connector, and the torque connector is inserted in the airbag. The torque connector includes one end connected to the sole connector, and one opposite end connected to the attaching assembly disposed on the airbag.

A test fixture for soles includes a sole member, a heel cushion, a sole connector, a ring-shaped airbag, a torque connector, and an attaching assembly. The heel cushion is disposed on a heel section of the sole member and sandwiched in between the sole member and the sole connector. The airbag is disposed on the sole connector, and the torque connector is inserted in the airbag. The torque connector includes one end connected to the sole connector, and one opposite end connected to the attaching assembly disposed on the airbag.

A bicycle cleat-fitting tool system may include a body with a superior face and an inferior face. The body defines a cleat receptacle for receiving a cleat to be fitted, with the cleat receptacle perpendicular to a medial line of the body. The superior face of the body includes a cleat retaining mechanism to selectively hold a cleat to be fitted in place within the cleat receptacle. The body also includes angle measurement indicia to indicate a degree of rotation of the body and the cleat receptacle with respect to a bicycle shoe to be fitted with the cleat. Methods for determining an accurate toe-out angle and angle of adjustment for the cleat are also described.

A bicycle cleat-fitting tool system may include a body with a superior face and an inferior face. The body defines a cleat receptacle for receiving a cleat to be fitted, with the cleat receptacle perpendicular to a medial line of the body. The superior face of the body includes a cleat retaining mechanism to selectively hold a cleat to be fitted in place within the cleat receptacle. The body also includes angle measurement indicia to indicate a degree of rotation of the body and the cleat receptacle with respect to a bicycle shoe to be fitted with the cleat. Methods for determining an accurate toe-out angle and angle of adjustment for the cleat are also described.

A method for assembling a shoe upper and a bottom unit includes digitally determining a bite line on the shoe upper. The method further includes storing a set of data representing the bite line in a computing device. The method also includes utilizing the set of data to automatically indicate the location of an actual physical bite line on the shoe upper.

A method for assembling a shoe upper and a bottom unit includes digitally determining a bite line on the shoe upper. The method further includes storing a set of data representing the bite line in a computing device. The method also includes utilizing the set of data to automatically indicate the location of an actual physical bite line on the shoe upper.

In one aspect, a system for obtaining dielectric properties of an object is disclosed, which comprises a plurality of transceivers for generating radiation in the microwave or millimeter-wave region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The transceivers are positioned in spatially fixed relationships relative to one another. The system further includes a controller for selectively activating the transceivers for irradiating at least a portion of the object and detecting at least a portion of the radiation reflected from said portion of the object in response to the irradiation, where each of the activated transceivers generates a signal in response to detection of the reflected radiation. The reflected signals are analyzed to determine a plurality of reflectivity coefficients corresponding to different discrete locations of the object, and the reflectivity coefficients are used to determine the complex permittivity of the discrete locations.

A footwear apparatus, comprising receptacles, having a mechanism that automatically removes and replaces interchangeable sole footwear parts; an automatic complete new sole dispenser; an automatic new sole heel dispenser; a complete old sole recycling automatic ejection component; an old sole heel dispenser automatic ejection component; a computer-implemented method for serving footwear and footwear soles to consumers from a vending machine; a computer-implemented foot scanning device, wherein said apparatus is comprised of a configuration to automatically replace the sole or partial sole of a pair or pairs of footwear.

In a markerless foot size estimation device 100, a shape data input unit 10 acquires three-dimensional shape data of a foot of a subject and stores the three-dimensional shape data in a shape data storage unit 20. A characteristic extraction unit 30 extracts foot shape characteristics from the three-dimensional shape data of a subject's foot stored in the shape data storage unit 20, and stores the foot shape characteristics in a shape characteristic storage unit 40. A machine learning unit 50 uses, as teacher data, foot shape characteristics and arch height stored in the shape characteristic storage unit 40 to create, through machine learning, an estimation model used to estimate arch height based on foot shape characteristics, and stores the estimation model in an estimation model storage unit 60. An estimation output unit 70 uses the estimation model stored in the estimation model storage unit 60 to estimate arch height based on extracted shape characteristics and outputs the arch height.

Apparatus and systems disclosed herein are designed to be used to study various forces acting on an athletic field or an athletic surface caused by the interaction between a shoe and the turf or athletic surface during a simulated impact. Various surfaces can be tested and analyzed, including assessing deceleration, acceleration and cutting traction potential on the surfaces. The disclosed apparatuses and systems allow for the testing of a wide variety of footwear, at any desired impact angle, and at various simulated forces.