Heel X : The Next-Gen Shoe Insole

November 9, 2021

Heel X was designed with the purpose of creating a shoe insole that would cater to all your needs.

THIS PROTECTIVE SPRING HEEL SOLUTION IS DESIGNED FOR SHOES OF ALL SIZES

HeelX is a remarkable new type of shoe insole, which can fit any shoe size and is adjustable to provide comfort for different activities. After some of the most painstakingly extensive design and development stages, we are pleased to introduce to you the ultimate shoe insole that is meant for comfort and can cater to your multiple needs. HeelX is a great combination of both cutting-edge technology and innovative scientific research, and it is emerging as a game-changing insole for everyone and all situations. By launching this crowdfunding campaign, we welcome you to become a part of this emerging phenomenon, which will redefine the way insoles are used worldwide.

Exactly what is it that we set out to solve? As an athlete, I have always wondered what it would be like to have a little support, a little push. Unfortunately, most insoles cater to comfort and not productivity, as a matter of fact, try and google it. The few that we found were extremely expensive in the ballpark of $150 or more, but they still only used similar designs that are used for comfort and not performance. Clearly, people like us who are seeking performance do not have products on the market. Think about the effect and support of a starting block in track and field, or shock absorbers in a car, every bit of help counts when you are seeking performance.

Imagine wearing a shoe with an insole that gives you the feeling of walking on air with continuous spring force. Well, giving you that exact feeling is why we designed HeelX. Many insoles on sale today are flat, and due to the abundance of these flat soles on the market, most people have never gotten a chance to try out anything else. Many insoles are not only a waste of time and money, but they are also more painful than the original shoe insole when used in an all-day-long situation. HeelX was designed as something multifunctional and unique, which could cater to multiple needs with a single product. This product is not just an insole, but the ultimate solution to all your shoe performance problems.

Heel X was designed with the purpose of creating a shoe insole that would cater to multiple needs. Imagine a shoe insole that you could use for running that also gave you the option to change the cartridge to use the same insoles for walking around the office, simply by adjusting the spring force (SP) resistance. With HeelX insole, your foot only has that necessary contact, which keeps the foot supported at all times, taking the burden of the arch of the foot. Moreover, there are certain insoles that may also be of a similar shape, but mostly lack the shock absorbency of the HeelX insole, or they are often not shaped properly. This makes the design of HeelX unique, different, and more useful because your all-new HeelX insole is both comfortable and supportive.

Application of Hooke’s Law

Designing the prototype for HeelX took several rounds, several designs, and functionality challenges. Which made it difficult to develop, we understood initially that the application of Hooke’s Spring Force Law was the solution to our invention. However, as illustrated in the attachments, our early prototypes led to failed beta tests, due to miscalculations of force, design, stability and balance. We continued to develop the design with the focus of making a well-balanced insole that would not be disruptive to the equilibrium but that could deliver the benefits of the spring force energy conservation.

Whether it be when you’re walking, running, or just standing still, your feet, especially your soles, are under constant strain. How this strain is managed and where it’s displaced depends on your shoe insoles. This makes what type of shoe you choose incredibly important, especially the types of support that that shoe gives you. Therefore, we set forth to develop and design an insole that would fit anyone and can be useful for everyone in all kinds of situations. With HeelX, we basically wanted to take the burden off your feet, and we believe that we have been quite successful in achieving this goal.

Hooke's law is a law of physics that states that the force (F) needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance (x) scales linearly with respect to that distance—that is, Fs = kx, where k is a constant factor characteristic of the spring (i.e., its stiffness), and x is small compared to the total possible.

F = k(x – x0)

The displacement of the spring from its position at equilibrium is x, the spring constant is k. The negative sign tells that the visualized spring force is a restoring force and acts in the opposite direction.

What does this mean? Beyond storing and releasing energy, another important aspect of the physics of springs is Hooke’s Law. Hooke’s Law states that the more you deform a spring, the more force it will take to deform it further. Using the example of a common compression spring, the more you compress the spring, the more force it will take to compress it further. We have used this formula to calculate the Force based on sampling the mass of several people, in order to achieve an accurate tolerance and balance of the PSI resistance.

We spend a large proportion of time stress testing various models of the springs, calibrations, and positioning of the springs. We encountered several apparent challenges in our initial concept designs and prototypes that failed in both productivity and comfort. We experienced challenges in heel placement, displacement, and stability.

Prototype 1 Sketch:

Prototype 1:

Prototype 1 Top View:

Although we had failed in our design, we still succeeded in performance. The unit actually worked! I had the right compression and relief after wearing it for a full day. This gave us hope to continue researching and redesigning the insoles. We crafted several models to improve on the first prototype.

We redesigned the mould to be able to fit most heels, after sampling over 150 people of different age groups and genders. Our findings required the base to be larger and wider to provide stability to both the user and the insole inside the shoe. We also realigned the springs to sustain the same calibrations that we succeeded in our previous model.

Therefore, we came up with a new solution different from the existing insoles that offer the same solutions. To continue our invisible design philosophy, we stress tested the Heel X in various settings. Such as outdoor pavements, carpets, basketball courts, warehouses and much more. Through this rigorous and lengthy process, we came up with our final prototype.

HeelX is a one-of-a-kind insole that fits and shapes around your foot and supports it in a three dimensional way. Moreover, displaces the pressure on the foot from walking and standing.

Some of the key benefits of HeelX are listed below:

You can use it regardless of your shoes’ shape or size
Perfect for formal shoes, trainers, or joggers
Supports your entire sole, particularly your heel bone that takes most of the pressure
Ideal for people with foot injuries or weight issues
Ideal for the senior citizen
Promotes even blood flow under the foot
Gives you a graceful walk
Uses environmentally friendly production process
You can use it while running, walking, standing, or even driving
Supports & Protects Your Feet in Multiple Ways