Footwear article for walking
Footwear articles for walking are provided. In one example, a footwear article may include a midsole with a lower surface of constant curvature extending from a heel of the midsole to a toe of the midsole, wherein the lower surface maintains the constant curvature throughout a stance phase of a walking gait. In this way, a smooth step-to-step transition and a smaller range of oscillation of the center of mass of the wearer is achieved, and energy expenditure during walking is reduced. In turn, a wearer of the footwear article may smoothly walk for extended periods of time with reduced fatigue.
1 . A footwear article, comprising:
a midsole with a lower surface of constant curvature extending from a heel of the midsole to a toe of the midsole, wherein the constant curvature is the constant curvature of a cylinder, and wherein the lower surface maintains the constant curvature throughout a stance phase of a walking gait; and
an outsole coupled to the lower surface of the midsole.
2 . The footwear article of claim 1 , wherein the heel of the midsole is configured to be positioned under a back of a heel of a foot and the toe of the midsole is configured to be positioned under a toe tip of the foot when the foot is inserted into an upper of the footwear article.
3 . The footwear article of claim 1 , wherein the midsole is configured to curve with the constant curvature along a center-of-pressure line of a foot when the foot is inserted into an upper of the footwear article.
4 . The footwear article of claim 1 , wherein the outsole includes an outer surface of the constant curvature.
5 . The footwear article of claim 4 , wherein the midsole is coupled to an upper surface of the outsole.
6 . The footwear article of claim 1 , further comprising a moderation plate.
7 . The footwear article of claim 1 , wherein a radius of the constant curvature is in a range of 350 mm to 600 mm.
8 . A footwear article, comprising:
a midsole with a lower surface of constant curvature extending from a heel of the midsole to a toe of the midsole, wherein the constant curvature is the constant curvature of a cylinder, and wherein the lower surface maintains the constant curvature throughout a stance phase of a walking gait;
an upper coupled to the midsole; and
an outsole coupled to the lower surface of the midsole.
9 . The footwear article of claim 8 , further comprising a moderation plate.
10 . The footwear article of claim 8 , wherein a radius of the constant curvature is in a range of 350 mm to 600 mm.
11 . The footwear article of claim 8 , wherein the heel of the midsole is configured to be positioned under a back of a heel of a foot and the toe of the midsole is configured to be positioned under a toe tip of the foot when the foot is inserted into the upper of the footwear article.