Shoes for Ball Sports

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes a smart shoe designed specifically for ball sports such as soccer, football, and rugby. The shoe features an upper with an actuated outer surface whose properties, such as friction and texture, can be dynamically adjusted in real-time based on detected movements or events (e.g., kicks, passes, ball control) by an embedded sensor and processing unit. The actuator can raise or lower surface structures such as fins, pins, or flaps to optimize the shoe’s contact with the ball for different actions, enhancing both control and performance.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Soccer players switching between dribbling, passing, or shooting to automatically optimize grip and touch on the ball.
• Football and rugby players adjusting shoe surface for different ball-handling and kicking scenarios.
• Training shoes for athletes that adapt surface properties in real-time for skill development.
• Professional sports footwear enhancing player performance through real-time surface optimization.
• Recreational sports shoes providing improved ball control and shot accuracy.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Automated, real-time adaptation of the shoe surface provides optimal ball control, friction, or energy transfer for various in-game movements.
• Eliminates the need for compromise in shoe surface design—each situation can have a specifically optimized surface.
• Improves player performance by providing the most suitable surface characteristics for any detected sporting action.
• Potentially reduces risk of injury and fatigue by allowing the shoe to adapt to different activities and forces.
• Smart detection system enables precise identification of sporting events, ensuring the shoe responds only when needed.
• Versatile; can be adapted to various types of ball sports and user preferences.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

Described are shoes for ball sports including an upper (101) having an outer surface. An actuator (104,81) is configured to change at least one surface property of a portion of the outer surface of the upper (101), and a sensor is configured to be sensitive to movements of the shoe. A processing unit is connected to the actuator(104,81) and the sensor and configured to process sensor data retrieved from the sensor and to cause the actuator (104,81) to change the at least one surface property of the portion of the outer surface of the upper (101) if a predetermined event is detected in the sensor data.