You can walk to the camp site, or you can decide that you’ve reached it when you are wearing the Walking Shelter shoes. Australian design collective Sibling has devised these new shoes that transform from shoes to a tent in just minutes.
In truth this is currently just a prototype and it is as much a shapeless bag as an actual tent, but does make us wonder about the possibilities of “wearing” our shelter when off hiking.
The days of the heavy white golf shoe are clearly in the past. Nike golf has introduced its Free-Inspired TW’13 that provides freedom of movement with maximum ground feel. Available in August in both men’s and women’s versions these utilize the Nike Dynamic Fit system to help harness the foot to provide the support athletes demand, while also ensuring that athletes keep contact with the ground longer – which in turn helps harness the energy of the foot to the shoe and, therefore, the shoe to the ground
The TW’13 also offers a Nike Free-Inspired platform and waterproof mesh upper providing increased flexibility with breathability to keep feet cool, dry and comfortable. These are shoes that won’t just arrive this summer, they’ll make a serious impact on the game of golf.
Puma has introduced the Faas Lite Golf Shoes, which are lightweight and flexible, and promise to be comfortable round after round. These feature a waterproof microfiber leather upper that is equipped with stormCELL to keep feet protected from the elements. A lace closure ensures a snug fit, while the EverTrack carbon rubber forefoot and heal ensures you’ll be able to walk the course in confidence.
We write about “pedal power” a lot – as in bicycle transportation and ways that pedaling can create some energy. However, some mechanical engineering students at Rice University are looking to create PediPower, which can turn the motion from walking into a system to juice up portable electronics.
The students behind the project, who go by the name “Agitation Squad,” created a shoe-mounted generator mounted at the heel. Except for running the heel is typically the first part of the foot to make contact with the ground, and here the team mounted a device that is connected to a gearbox, and with every step a little energy is gathered as the gearbox turns a motor and sends electricity to a battery pack.
While still in prototype the goal of the Agitation Squad is for another team to pick up the project and see where they can take it. Perhaps in the future a walk to the store could provide some power to juice up the phone or portable music player. Video after the jump
While we always encourage walking when possible, according to an MIT study a typical pair running shoes actually generates 30 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to keeping a 100-watt bulb lit for one week!
The study noted, “The researchers found that more than two-thirds of a running shoe’s carbon impact can come from manufacturing processes, with a smaller percentage arising from acquiring or extracting raw materials. This breakdown is expected for more complex products such as electronics, where the energy that goes into manufacturing fine, integrated circuits can outweigh the energy expended in processing raw materials. But for ‘less-advanced’ products — particularly those that don’t require electronic components — the opposite is often the case.”
The Micro G Toxic Six Running Shoes from Under Armour look like they could have an infectious disease, but if you can get past the look these might be what the kids call “sick” in other was. These minimalist shoes offer an ultra-flexible, anatomical Micro G midsole that allows the wearer’s foot to move naturally, while the glove-like upper provides a snug fit. The shoes offer molded MPZ panels that provide additional support, while the asymmetrical lacing system reduces pressure on the top of the foot. All this could make the Micro G Toxic Six one infectious shoe.
Under Armour Micro G Toxic Six Running Shoes Official Website
Sandal maker Teva has entered the mountain bike shoe area with its new Pivot. At first glance these seem to be just another pair of casual shoes – but like many new shoes we’ve seen – there is more than meets the eye. These provide a recessed sole for cleats and the Pivot works with Shimano’s SPD as well as Crankbrothers pedal systems.
This makes the shoes ideal for commuting to work, while the Spider365 Rubber soles will grip all sorts of surfaces. The composite midsole plate makes it ideal for pedaling efficiency and walkability.
The Smaat running shoes certainly look quite smart, and for this season the company has introduced three colorful models, including the Midlander, Lolander and Splitlander – and each is focused on the minimalist running shoe trend.
The Midlander is designed for those just looking to take their first step into minimalist running, and can help provide the move towards reduction. From here the Lolander offers progressive minimalist runners split toe tooling that enhances flexibility and allows the foot to flex and have a more natural experience. The Splitlnader takes this the rest of the way and provides even more flexibility that encourages greater balance during toe off.
Smaat stuff!
Danish footwear brand ECCO – which according to reports is the second-largest shoe maker in the world and has produced more than 350 million pairs since 1963 – celebrates 50 years in business. While the company makes casual and dress shoes, we’ve seen many of its golf, running and outdoor models.
What makes ECCO unique is that it is a vertically integrated with its own leather tanneries and factories, and of course high-end retail-end establishments. We say congratulations to ECCO and hope we’ll see continue to go the distance.
[Via Gearjunkie: 2nd Biggest Shoe company in World (celebrating 50 years in business)]
EVA or ethylene vinyl acetate is a great material for footwear because it is essentially waterproof and durable. It has been used more for clogs and sandal type footwear but Crosskix is looking to create an athletic shoe, and has looked to Kickstarter to “kix” things out.
The Crosskix aren’t meant to replace team sport shoes where cleats are worn, but could be good as a light training shoe, and certainly as a post-workout recovery shoe. If these get dirty there is no problem, as these are made of EVA the Crosskix can be hosed off and are ready to wear. Video after the jump
In team sports it is often “shirts and skins” but Cleatskins could change that to “shoes with skins” – as in flexible compression-molded rubber soles that can slip over existing cleats to provide a way to walk in the shoes without damaging the shoes, the cleats or most importantly the floors. These are designed for a variety of shoes – from football to cycling.
The Eudibamus Cursoris is one of the oldest known bipedal creatures, and gives its name to the new Wave EVO Cursoris running shoes form Mizuno. These are designed to provide a more stable platform along with increased cushioning for runners looking to transform to a midfoot strike. The shoe features a ZERO Ramp offset between the heel and forefoot to provide this natural plane that is tailored to a midfoot strike, while the flat-bottomed foretfoot design is coupled with a wider platform to provide greater stability.
Perhaps the Eudibamus Cursoris learned to run on its midfoot. Given that this little runner – the Latin word was “cursor” no less – was quite swift and didn’t have shoes to protect his tiny feet we can only assume this was the case.
Mizuno Wave EVO Cursoris Official Website
The ECCO BIOM Lite 1.1 shoe has a casual look to it, but it is actually meant for running, hiking and other activity. The concept here is that it is the shoe you can wear every day but if the mode strikes to start running it can handle it. The BIOM provides a natural foot position that is akin to the barefoot running shoes, which is expected as this shoe has virtually no padding. Thus this shoe encourages a mid-foot landing.
It also is far more stylish looking than the typical running shoe, but still features a thin rubber sole to provide some grip on the trails or pavement. It is the kind of shoe that might make you decide to run home from work.