Footwear

A team of scientists has been working on more environmentally friendly forms of footwear, and is now showing off a pair of algae-based flip flops that make the grade for commercial footwear, but degrade in the environment in just 16 weeks.

A lot of raw material goes into the making of footwear, so the less that can be used, the better for the environment. Nike's new Space Hippie shoes were designed with that in mind, as they're composed largely of recycled materials.

While it's nice to own multiple styles of shoes, each one of the things has a rubber sole that will ultimately end up in the landfill. Made2Share shoes are different – they incorporate a single set of soles that accommodate various zip-on uppers.

Looking at today's tech, you might think “pack it in, inventing is finished.” But innovateurs and imagineers need something to do, even when the well of useful ideas is running dry. Here are the oddest and most questionable inventions of 2019.

A new insole is designed to keep diabetic foot ulcers from forming, by monitoring skin pressure and temperature.

According to a new study, the rolling iStride Device has been shown to improve the gait of stroke victims.

​Buying shoes online is a risky business, as it's hard to know if they'll fit once they arrive on your doorstep. Nike is attempting to address that issue, with its app-based and artificial intelligence-enabled Nike Fit system.

​Back in 2016, Nike first announced its HyperAdapt 1.0 training shoes, which automatically tighten their laces around the wearer's foot. Now Puma is getting in on the self-lacing game, with its Fit Intelligence (Fi) line of footwear.

Germany's eco-lux footwear brand nat-2 has been making sustainable footwear for a few years, and has now launched some sneakers made from recycled coffee, with some recycled plastic bottles thrown in for good measure.​​ And yes, they smell of coffee.

​According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, approximately 15 percent of diabetics will develop chronic foot ulcers. A large percentage of those people will in turn require amputations. Help could be on the way, though … in the form of a rubber insole.

That unpleasant "cheesy" odor emanating from sneakers after a run is probably caused by bacteria on the skin that feed on sweat and produce isovaleric acid. You could try and mask the smell or use anti-bacterial soap on your feet, but Panasonic has another way – the MS-DS100 shoe deodorizer.

​Those little packets of silica gel that come in everything from your shoeboxes to burrito packets are the gold standard for fending off fungal growth and moisture. But scientists have now developed a material they claim to absorb twice as much.