Athletic Footwear Cleat Configurations for Custom Golf Swing Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf cleats fail to provide customized traction and stability based on an individual golfer's unique swing, leading to inconsistent performance.
Innovation Solution
The design of golf cleats with dual-material legs, where static legs are rigid and dynamic legs are flexible, allowing for customizable traction and stability by positioning them on specific areas of the shoe to counteract rotational forces during a golf swing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional single-material cleats are used, then manufacturing is simple and cost is low, but traction and stability cannot be customized for different swing types
Solution Approach 1:
The cleat is divided into multiple legs made of different materials (softer and harder materials) with different properties. Each leg can be independently positioned on the shoe to provide customized traction and stability characteristics based on the athlete's specific swing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the cleat (different legs) are made with different material properties - some legs use softer material for traction while others use harder material for stability. These legs are strategically positioned on specific areas of the shoe sole to address localized performance needs during the swing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cleat configurations are provided for different athletes, then performance customization is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cleat system uses modular legs that can be independently arranged and positioned on the shoe sole. This segmentation allows multiple configuration options without requiring entirely different manufacturing processes for each cleat type - the same set of modular legs can be arranged in different patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
A single set of multi-material cleat legs can be configured to serve multiple functions and accommodate different swing types by changing the arrangement and positioning of the legs on the shoe sole, rather than manufacturing separate cleat sets for each application.
3Stability of the object's composition
If cleats are designed to prevent foot rotation, then stability during swing is improved, but flexibility and comfort may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Different legs of the cleat are made with different material hardness - softer legs provide comfort and flexibility while harder legs provide stability and rotation prevention. The strategic positioning of these different-legged on specific areas of the shoe creates localized stability where needed while maintaining overall comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleat combines materials with different properties (softer and harder materials) within a single cleat structure. This composite approach allows the cleat to simultaneously provide both comfort (through softer materials) and stability/rotation prevention (through harder materials) in different locations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances golf performance by providing tailored traction and stability, preventing foot rotation and improving shot accuracy by anchoring the feet during the swing.
Implementation Method 1
The one or more static legs have a first hardness and the one or more dynamic legs have a second hardness
Implementation Method 2
The one or more static legs have a first hardness and the one or more dynamic legs have a second hardness
Data Source
AI summary
An article of footwear includes at least one first cleat mounted on one side of the article of footwear and at least one second cleat mounted on an opposite side of the article of footwear. The at least one first cleat includes a first plurality of legs arranged in a first leg configuration wherein at least one first leg extends away from a longitudinal centerline of the article of footwear and at least one second leg extends toward the longitudinal centerline of the article of footwear. The at least one first leg has a first hardness and the at least one second leg has a second hardness, the second hardness different than the first hardness. The at least one second cleat is mounted on an opposite side of the article of footwear. The at least one second cleat includes a second plurality of legs arranged in a second leg configuration that is different than the first leg configuration.