Sports Engineering Inc. Expands Sole Technology Portfolio Through Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Four New Provisional Patent Filings
Filings Further Protect the Patented Load Mitigating Sole Technology Developed with Worcester Polytechnic Institute
NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Sports Engineering, Inc. (SEI) announced today the filing of four new provisional patents related to their innovative sole technology for which a patent entitled Self Recovery Impact Absorbing Footwear (US# 9,730,486) was issued in 2017. SEI has an exclusive license to the sole technology. Created by a development team led by Professor Christopher Brown, PhD, FASME, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), the sole technology can be manufactured into athletic shoes and is designed to significantly reduce the likelihood of non-contact sports injuries, specifically those involving the knee and ankle.
The four patent filings call for:
- Creating an adjustable response elastic or electromagnetic kinetic energy converter and storage field system
- Developing an impact-absorbing footwear protrusion (cleat)
- Designing downwards-absorbing and upwards-accommodating footwear heel
- Creating a tunable stiffness spring system
"We believe this sole technology has the capability to drastically change the way we look at preventative care for sports injuries – specifically those involving the knee and ankle," stated Ed Cowle, CEO of SEI. "The shoe, in essence, can do what the body cannot, absorb the load that would typically cause harm, allowing the athlete to play on without incident."
"With more than 250,000 ACL injuries(1) and approximately 20 million ankle injuries per year(2), the need is apparent. We are hoping to increase not just the quality of play but the quality of life for countless professional, college, and high school athletes worldwide with the use of this technology," said Dr. Brown.
The unique sole has a revolutionary spring system that can be integrated into virtually any athletic shoe. When wearing such a shoe during athletic activity, the patented sole system is calibrated to absorb increased energy from a sudden athletic motion (such as a pivot). Without this technology, the energy would otherwise be transferred and create stress on the knees or ankles. The mitigation of this energy force should result in a reduced risk of ACL and ankle injuries without perceptible difference in athletic shoe performance by the athlete.
About Sports Engineering Inc. (SEI):
SEI is a sports innovation company developing revolutionary technology that believes it will help prevent the countless ACL and ankle injuries that occur each year. ACL and ankle injuries are the most commonly occurring injuries in athletic competition.
SEI is in late stage development of a self-recovery split shoe sole system with a spring loaded interface. Studies have shown that the split sole spring technology allows for energy and load displacement, which when incorporated into an athletic shoe, should result in a lower incidence of ACL and ankle injuries. The sole technology is based on intellectual property licensed from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) where the development work is being conducted by a research team led by Christopher Brown, PhD, Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
SEI plans to out-license the technology to athletic shoe manufactures in exchange for a licensing fee and royalties.
About Worcester Polytechnic Institute
WPI, a global leader in project-based learning, is a distinctive, top-tier technological university founded in 1865 on the principle that students learn most effectively by applying the theory learned in the classroom to the practice of solving real-world problems. Recognized by the National Academy of Engineering with the 2016 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, WPI's pioneering project-based curriculum engages undergraduates in solving important scientific, technological, and societal problems throughout their education and at more than 45 project centers around the world. WPI offers more than 50 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs across 14 academic departments in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts. Its faculty and students pursue groundbreaking research to meet ongoing challenges in health and biotechnology; robotics and the internet of things; advanced materials and manufacturing; cyber, data, and security systems; learning science; and more. http://www.wpi.edu
(1) Hewett, T. E., Shultz, S. J., & Griffin, L. Y. (2007). Understanding and Preventing Noncontact ACL Injuries (9th ed., Vol. 34, Ser. 2006)
(2) "Ankle and Foot Injuries" by Kaushal Shah and Natasha Desai, Anesthesia Key
SOURCE Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Share this article