Moveable Athletic Shoe Cleat Reducing Knee Injury Risk
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional athletic shoe cleats, being fixed, can immobilize the foot upon impact, transferring stress to the knee and leading to potential injuries, as they are locked into the turf, increasing pressure on other joints like the knee during side impacts.
Innovation Solution
A cleat design that is displaceable between an extended and collapsed position, allowing it to disengage from the turf during side impacts while remaining fixed during forward motion, utilizing a compression coil spring and ball lock mechanism to adjust the cleat's position based on force direction, reducing knee injury risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cleat is fixed to the shoe sole, then the shoe provides stable traction during normal athletic movement, but the cleat immobilizes the foot upon side impact, transferring excessive stress to the knee joint and causing injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The cleat is designed to transition from a fixed state during normal operation to a movable state upon impact. The cleat can pivot or disengage from the sole when subjected to forces exceeding a threshold, allowing the foot to move relative to the shoe during side impacts while maintaining fixed traction during normal athletic movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleat's mechanical properties change based on applied force magnitude. During normal use, the cleat maintains rigid fixation to the sole for optimal traction. Upon detecting impact forces above a predetermined threshold, the cleat's fixation parameter changes, allowing it to become movable or detachable to prevent injury transmission to the knee joint.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cleat is made movable to prevent knee injuries, then the shoe can disengage from turf during side impacts, but the shoe loses traction stability during forward motion and normal athletic activities
Solution Approach 1:
The cleat system dynamically adjusts its fixation state based on the direction and magnitude of applied forces. During forward motion, the cleat remains firmly fixed to provide stable traction. During side impacts, the cleat can pivot or disengage to allow protective movement, thus maintaining traction stability when needed while preventing injury when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleat design incorporates a feedback mechanism where the applied force on the cleat determines its state. When forces within normal ranges are applied during athletic movement, the cleat remains fixed. When impact forces exceed a threshold, the cleat responds by becoming movable, providing automatic protection without compromising normal performance.
3Force
If the cleat remains fixed during side impact, then maximum traction is maintained, but the stress transferred to the knee joint causes injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The cleat's mechanical fixation parameter changes in response to impact magnitude. During normal athletic activities, the cleat maintains strong fixation to maximize traction force. Upon side impact exceeding a threshold, the fixation parameter changes to allow movement, thereby reducing the transmission of harmful forces to the knee joint while maintaining optimal traction during normal use.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the cleat is designed to disengage during side impact, then knee injury risk is reduced, but the device complexity increases with additional mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The cleat employs a simple dynamic mechanism where the cleat itself can pivot or disengage from the sole through predetermined mechanical pathways. This design achieves injury protection through the inherent flexibility of the cleat-sole connection rather than complex active control systems, minimizing device complexity while maintaining effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleat system is self-regulating through its mechanical design. The cleat automatically transitions between fixed and movable states based on the magnitude and direction of applied forces, without requiring external control systems, sensors, or power sources. This self-service mechanism reduces device complexity while achieving the protective function.
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
The design effectively reduces the likelihood of knee injuries by allowing the cleat to disengage from the ground surface during side impacts, distributing force more effectively and preventing excessive pressure on the knee joint.
Implementation Method 1
a compression coil spring and ball lock mechanism to adjust the cleat's position based on force direction
Implementation Method 2
a compression coil spring and ball lock mechanism to adjust the cleat's position based on force direction
Data Source
AI summary
An athletic shoe including a moveably attached cleat is intended to displace relative to the sole on the shoe in certain situations. This allows the cleat to more easily disengage the turf than a convention fixed cleat. The moveably attached cleat allows the shoe to disengage from the turf when the wearer is subjected to side impact forces, thus reducing the likelihood of traumatic knee injuries for the wearer. However, when the wearer is running forward, there is a reaction force on the cleat from the turf, acting in the forward direction which does not cause the cleat to displace to the retracted position and it can remain in the extended position.