Footwear Design Research Articles

Foot Center of Pressure Trajectory Alteration by Biomechanical Manipulation of Shoe Design

Footwear-generated biomechanical manipulations have been shown to alter lower limb kinetics. It has been suggested that this is due to altered trajectory of the foot's center of pressure (COP), conveying a shift in location of the ground reaction force and modifying moments and forces acting on proximal body segments. However, past studies have focused on qualitative association between footwear design and the COP locus. Moreover, this association was calculated via indirect analysis. The purpose of the present study was to directly examine and quantify the correlation between measured footwear biomechanical manipulation and the location of the COP trajectory during gait. A novel biomechanical device allowing flexible positioning of 2 convex-shaped elements attached to its sole was utilized. A total of 20 healthy male adults underwent direct in-shoe pressure measurements while walking with the device set at 7 mediolateral configurations. COP data were collected during gait and analyzed with respect to different stance subphases. COP location significantly correlated with a shift of the elements medially or laterally. The linear model describing this correlation was found to be statistically significant. There was significant correlation between the plantar orientation of the shoe device configuration and the COP. Changes in COP trajectory may be valuable in patients suffering from multiple foot disorders elevating pressure on the foot. Accurate COP control could aid in the manipulation of the forces acting on the proximal joints during gait. In addition, these findings may have implications in the field of biomechanical apparatus design and practice.

Design data for footwear: sweating distribution on the human foot

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide footwear designers, manikin builders and thermo‐physiological modellers with sweat distribution information for the human foot.Design/methodology/approachIndependent research from two laboratories, using different techniques, is brought together to describe sweat production of the foot. In total, 32 individuals were studied. One laboratory used running at two intensities in males and females, and measured sweat with absorbents placed inside the shoe. The other used ventilated sweat capsules on a passive, nude foot, with sweating evaluated during passive heating and incremental exercise to fatigue.FindingsResults from both laboratories are in agreement. Males secreted more than twice the volume of sweat produced by the females (p<0.01) at the same relative work rate. Both genders demonstrated a non‐uniform sweat distribution, though this was less variable in females. Highest local sweat rates were observed from the medial ankles (p<0.01). The dorsal foot sweated substantially more than the plantar (sole) areas (p<0.01). Sweating on the plantar side of the foot was uniform. Wearing shoes limited the increase in sweat production with increasing load, while the sweat rate of uncovered feet kept increasing with work and thermal load.Practical implicationsThe observed variation in sweat rate across the foot shows that footwear design should follow the body mapping principle. Fabrics and materials with different properties can be used to improve comfort if applied to different foot surfaces. The data also demonstrate that foot models, whether physical (manikins) or mathematical, need to incorporate the observed variation across the foot to provide realistic simulation/testing of footwear.Originality/value

PERANCANGAN INOVASI SEPATU DAN SELOP SEBAGAI SOLUSI MASYARAKAT MOBILITAS TINGGI DENGAN METODE QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT

In order to improve the quality of the society with high mobilityit needs an footwear innovation. With the behavior of a mobile society it must act effectively and efficiently organize belongings, especially the users who feel the hassle of carrying equipment. So that users think of some alternatives to travel, but the alternative is actually getting some disadvantages. Based on a survey of 30 respondents (students, faculty and young executives) 100% said that shoes and sandals should be two in one designed to be effective and efficient in travel frequently and 30 respondents also prefer sandals slippers as a model to the sole / bottom (section bottom of the shoes) than slippers. Based on the results of the questionnaire was obtained new footwear design innovation. This product is designed to utilize sol / bottom (the bottom of the shoe) at the shoe. it use to be slippers so that when Se-Top split, sol can be slippers. Meanwhile, when it was merged with the hood / upper (the top of the shoe) will be the shoes.

Geometric morphometric footprint analysis of young women

BackgroundMost published attempts to quantify footprint shape are based on a small number of measurements. We applied geometric morphometric methods to study shape variation of the complete footprint outline in a sample of 83 adult women.MethodsThe outline of the footprint, including the toes, was represented by a comprehensive set of 85 landmarks and semilandmarks. Shape coordinates were computed by Generalized Procrustes Analysis.ResultsThe first four principal components represented the major axes of variation in foot morphology: low-arched versus high-arched feet, long and narrow versus short and wide feet, the relative length of the hallux, and the relative length of the forefoot. These shape features varied across the measured individuals without any distinct clusters or discrete types of footprint shape. A high body mass index (BMI) was associated with wide and flat feet, and a high frequency of wearing high-heeled shoes was associated with a larger forefoot area of the footprint and a relatively long hallux. Larger feet had an increased length-to-width ratio of the footprint, a lower-arched foot, and longer toes relative to the remaining foot. Footprint shape differed on average between left and right feet, and the variability of footprint asymmetry increased with BMI.ConclusionsFoot shape is affected by lifestyle factors even in a sample of young women (median age 23 years). Geometric morphometrics proved to be a powerful tool for the detailed analysis of footprint shape that is applicable in various scientific disciplines, including forensics, orthopedics, and footwear design.

The effect of shoe toe box shape and volume on forefoot interdigital and plantar pressures in healthy females

BackgroundIll-fitting footwear can be detrimental to foot health with the forefoot being an area for most discomfort. Studies on footwear have primarily examined sports or orthopaedic prescription shoes and little is known about the effects that everyday flat shoes have on the forefoot. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of toe box shape in a popular slip-on pump on dorsal and plantar pressures with particular interest around the forefoot in a healthy female population.MethodA convenience sample of 27 female participants with no known foot pathologies was recruited. After assessment of foot size, plantar foot pressure and interdigital pressures were recorded for each of the 3 different toe box styles; round, square and pointed. Participants walked at a self-selected speed over a 10 m walkway whilst wearing each of the 3 styles of shoe and also whilst barefoot. Processed and analysed data extracted included peak pressure, time to peak pressure, contact time and pressure time integral. ANOVA and Freidman analysis was used to test for statistical significance.ResultsShoes with a round toe showed least pressure around the medial aspect of the toes whilst the pointed shoe had least pressure on the lateral toes. Contact times for the plantar regions were not altered in any shoe condition yet contact around the medial aspect of the toes was highest in the pointed shoe.ConclusionThis study highlights that the shape of the toe box in footwear can significantly influence the amount of pressure applied to the forefoot. Furthermore, the contours of the shoe also have an impact on the contact time and pressure time integral around the forefoot and also the peak plantar pressure in the toe region. The changes observed could be significant in the development of pathology in certain footwear toe box shapes. Consideration should be given to footwear design around the toe box to improve fit and reduce pressure. Further work is required to investigate the effect of toe box shape and volume on a pathological population with pressure related lesions.

Foot Plantar Pressure Measurement System: A Review

Foot plantar pressure is the pressure field that acts between the foot and the support surface during everyday locomotor activities. Information derived from such pressure measures is important in gait and posture research for diagnosing lower limb problems, footwear design, sport biomechanics, injury prevention and other applications. This paper reviews foot plantar sensors characteristics as reported in the literature in addition to foot plantar pressure measurement systems applied to a variety of research problems. Strengths and limitations of current systems are discussed and a wireless foot plantar pressure system is proposed suitable for measuring high pressure distributions under the foot with high accuracy and reliability. The novel system is based on highly linear pressure sensors with no hysteresis.

Simulation of the behavior of the calfskin used as shoe upper material in footwear CAD

The aim of this work is to propound a mechanical behavior model for simulating the deformation of the shoe upper material in gait for footwear CAD applications. The chosen material is calfskin. The proposed material behavior for the working range is a linear elastic orthotropic model which considers large deformation and membrane and bending loading. The model was obtained from tensile tests and validated with two experiments: a test to measure the leather resistance to damage on lasting and a test that models the shoe forming process using lasts. The framework of this work is the simulation of the footwear deformation while walking for footwear computer-aided design, and these tests have been chosen because, in them, the shoe upper material is deformed in a similar way to those deformations that occur during a complete step. The tests have been simulated using the Finite Element Method. The results of this simulation show that, in most of the cases, the orthotropic model closely represents the real behavior of the leathers analyzed in this work.

INCREASED STRENGTH OF INTRINSIC FOOT MUSCLES IN DIABETES AND PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY

Running is one of the most accessible physical activities and running with and without footwear has attracted extensive attention in the past several years. In this study 18 habitually male unshod runners and 20 habitually male shod runners (all with dominant right feet) participated in a running test. A Vicon motion analysis system was used to capture the kinematics of each participant’s lower limb. The in-shoe plantar pressure measurement system was employed to measure the pressure and force exerted on the pressure sensors of the insole. The function of a separate hallux in unshod runners is analyzed through the comparison of plantar pressure parameters. Owing to the different strike patterns in shod and unshod runners, peak dorsiflexion and plantarflexion angle were significantly different. Habitually shod runners exhibited a decreased foot strike angle (FSA) under unshod conditions; and the vertical average loading rate (VALR) of shod runners under unshod conditions was larger than that under shod conditions. This suggests that the foot strike pattern is more important than the shod or unshod running style and runners need to acquire the technique. It can be concluded that for habitually unshod runners the separate hallux takes part of the foot loading and reduces loading to the forefoot under shod conditions. The remaining toes of rearfoot strike (RFS) runners function similarly under unshod conditions. These morphological features of shod and unshod runners should be considered in footwear design to improve sport performance and reduce injury.

Ecological gait dynamics: stability, variability and optimal design

Variability–stability relationships are the very foundation of flexible biological movements. For footwear design, stability is best defined as pattern stability at the level of segmental relationships with regard to goal-oriented performance. Footwear design should seek to optimize the variation in segmental relationships while maintaining the overall locomotion pattern, providing a system that is both adaptable to upcoming events and stable to unanticipated perturbations. As footwear is designed for a variety of uses other than forward, continuous running on a flat terrain, an examination of the fundamental assumptions and applicability of traditional gait dynamics is necessary. Expanding evaluation of gait dynamics to non-forward, non-continuous motion across different terrains would seem appropriate, given the ubiquity of these movements in everyday life. Optimizing footwear design for different tasks requires trade-offs between design and material selection and a principled scientific approach to understanding these trade-offs is required. Evaluation of these non-traditional gait dynamics and incorporation of goal-oriented performance requires consideration of the behavioural consequences of design and perception–action coupling. Understanding variability–stability relationships remains at the center of any attempt to understand footwear performance and design implications in these expanded gait dynamics. The basis for changing historical perspectives on variability–stability relationships is discussed with regard to maintaining and changing coordinative patterns, information–movement relationships, injury prevention, and optimizing performance through footwear design. A principled approach to building a footwear performance space from empirical data is provided, and it is suggested that such an approach offers objective metrics for making appropriate trades in footwear design to optimize performance across categories of intended use.

HYPER-ELASTIC PARAMETER ESTIMATION OF HUMAN HEEL-PAD: A FINITE ELEMENT AND EVOLUTIONARY BASED ALGORITHM

The heel-pad as a biological shock absorber has an important role in the initial contact phase of gait cycle dissipating the impact forces resulted in locomotion. An axisymmetric finite element model of human heel-pad has been generated and the heel-pad experimental data deduced from a published force-deflection graph of the same specimen (Iain R. Spears, Janice E. Miller-Young), Iterative identification task has been used to extract nonlinear material properties describing hyper-elastic behavior of heel-pad. The genetic algorithm was incorporated into estimation process using an interface program. Two parameters of hyper-elastic materials potential energy function represented by Mooney–Rivlin were determined by using the genetic algorithm technique to minimize the displacement error between the experimental data and the corresponding finite element results after a considerable number of iterations. The result can be used for design and construction of synthetic heel-pad and therapeutic foot wear as well as insoles, especially for diabetic patients.

The Māori foot exhibits differences in plantar loading and midfoot morphology to the Caucasian foot

The question being addressed in the current study was whether the diabetic Māori foot was more or less prone to ulceration than the diabetic New Zealand Caucasian (NZC) foot. Harris mat and pedobarographic analyses were employed to assess static and dynamic foot morphology and plantar loading in 40 Māori and NZC diabetic and non-diabetic participants. Significantly higher peak pressures were exhibited by the diabetic Māori participants compared to their NZC peers at the central forefoot. Significantly higher static and dynamic arch index values and significantly higher sub-arch angle values were exhibited by the non-diabetic Māori participants compared to their NZC peers. The latter findings suggest that healthy Māori may have a predisposition towards having a flatter foot than healthy NZC, which may have footwear design implications.

Factors Determining Athletic Footwear Design: A Case of Product Appearance and Functionality

Footwear has currently been developed and tested by designers. Appearance is among the most important factors contributing to the popularity and market shares of particular brands and designs targeting on young purchasers. Using athletic footwear as a case study, the present research aims to investigate the pattern of footwear designs–shape, material, and type of shoe-base ergonomics and functionality. It is also bound to examine young purchasers’ perceptions towards aesthetics The research finally recommends a set of design guidelines towards footwear design basing on purchesers’ cognitive and affective perception on footwear appearance.

Biomechanics of footwear design

Background The aim of the workshop is to explore the effects of footwear design on lower limb motion and discuss research findings relevant to the clinic and physical activity. Delegates will be actively involved in a motion capture process where important lower limb joint stress variables will be displayed in real time. The University of Sydney researchers will raise footwear issues from a range of areas such as children physical activity, adult walking and running, specific footwear such as thongs (flip-flops), dance and experimental methodology. During or on completion of this workshop, participants will be able to: • Critically analyse footwear characteristics that are likely to influence lower limb function during physical activity. • Experience the use of state of the art technology to analyse lower limb mechanics. • Discuss the models and methods used to build knowledge about the effect of footwear on lower limb mechanics. • Recount clinical and research outcomes for the effect of footwear on lower limb biomechanics during physical activity. • Apply biomechanical principles to the effective choice of footwear for a range of physical activities.

Contributors

Contributors

A Pilot Study on Footwear Biomechanical Effect to Diabetic Patients

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of diabetic therapeutic footwear design in preventing the foot ulcer. A total of 36 type 2 diabetic patients were investigated. The foot plantar pressure was measured with Novel-Pedar insole pressure measure system. The subjects were measured under common leather shoes and common running shoes. Different regions of plantar surface were analyzed. Comparing with two different conditions, Generally, except other toes region, the peak pressure values in running shoes were lower than the leather shoes. Both midfoot and medial forefoot region were significantly different between two intervene. Running shoes might be useful for preventing the diabetic foot ulcer. Because they could reduce the peak pressure effectively than the leather shoes, and make the distribution of the pressure on the foot sole more reasonably.

Foot structure in obese children: Implications for footwear design

Foot structure in obese children: Implications for footwear design

Shoes Customization Design Tools for the “Diabetic Foot”

AbstractDiabetes is one of the main causes that generate foot health related diseases. It impacts on a large percentage of world population and is expected to grow in next 20 years. Good footwear is fundamental for influencing foot health status in particular when foot can be subjected to many serious problems as in case of diabetic patients. This research work faces this problem by defining an approach and related computer-aided technologies in order to properly design customized shoes for people suffering from diabetes. Design rules have been fixed by formalizing knowledge that expert podiatrists use to prevent foot diseases. Studied and implemented technologies interest the whole footwear design process: foot scanning, foot dynamic pressure measurement, design of last, insole and outsole. This paper is focused on the description of design software system structure and related tools, and, then, it reports preliminary experimental results on 20 case studies.

The Denim’s Characteristics as Upper Material of Footwear

Recently revival made denim a prompting material in fashion throughout the world. For footwear design, denim as textile is the hot spot instead of animal leather in 2011. In this report the application of denim in footwear design is discussed. Denim has its specificity in aesthetic aspect. Also compared with leather, denim is more comfortable and healthy to wear. Designers have more freedom in decoration, painting, and composite material selections with denims in shoe design. The issues in manufacture of denim shoes are also mentioned in this work.

Human foot modeling towards footwear design

Comfort test of footwear is mainly based on subjective perception of the wearer and a large number of subjects are required to obtain a reliable result. Therefore, the subjective comfort test is expensive and time consuming. Although the foot size and shape of a subject can be obtained by using a three-dimensional (3D) foot scanner, it is still difficult to create foot motion animations of each subject suitable for computer simulation. In this paper, we propose a fast approach to model foot deformation and present its application in simulating interaction with footwear towards footwear design. The simulation determines deformation of foot and footwear models. It can also determine stress distribution in the footwear. Given an initial foot model and a captured foot motion, human foot animation is created first. Then, the footwear model is fitted to the foot to compute the deformation and stress in the footwear. In this article, the boundary element method (BEM) is adopted. We demonstrate the results by conducting simulation of a captured gait motion. Experimental results showed that the method can be used to simulate human gait motion, and can determine deformation of footwear.

Getting to the bottom of footwear customization

Footwear have been evaluated mostly using commercially available products, while some researchers have used custom shoes. Hence, the understanding of the effects of various parameters of a shoe is quite limited. The footbed simulator invented in recent years allows a range of parameters to be studied in quiet standing. It can be used to evaluate perceived feel and center of pressure changes to changes in heel height, seat length, material, wedge angle and toe spring. This paper is meant to show the value of the footbed simulator in terms of research and the actual production of shoes. A study performed with two heel heights, three combinations of seat length and material and three wedge angles showed that the perceived feel is closely related to the center of pressure. The results also show the optimum footbed has a significantly different perceived feel. Thus, the footbed simulator is an ideal way to generate custom footwear designs.