Love the idea of shoes that can grow as kids do but also accommodates variations in adult feet. This sounds all around sensible:
..the sneakers are a smart footwear solution for people who know the pains of inconsistent shoe sizing. They’re also a forgiving solution for short in-store try-on sessions, which might have you convinced that your new pair of shoes fits well—until you spend an hour in them at home and realize they’re tight around the toes. Adjustable shoes accommodate growing feet as well as feet that are slightly different sizes, and they’re more forgiving if you pick the wrong size.
Shoes and innovation have come together before - get them to vacuum the floor. Sounds interesting but not nearly as useful as a shoe that can adjust a bit to fit better
The shoe is a concept product that emerged from an internal company contest that is held every other year. Started in 1991, the Denso contest lets employees pitch new ideas to "foster their creative and innovative design concepts" and chooses 12 finalists to present in Japan.
One of the finalist projects is the Ecology Shoe, which has a small vacuum inside its very large, outer sole. At the heel is a small pedal, which is connected to gears. Every step you take powers the vacuum motor, allowing it to suck up small pieces of debris at a time.
Sneakers have a new avatar thanks to Sara Blakley. The looks and the price point of the thing are not yet what it would take to see every other woman come to work wearing this. Some other heel styles could start making this more interesting to the larger population of women. Then knock-offs will follow until there is a Sneex variant for every budget and taste.
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