NEW YORK (PRWEB) October 11, 2019
Sports Engineering, Inc. ("SEI"), a sports technology company based in New York and Toronto, announced today the filing of four US and International patents related to its innovative SmartSpring™ sole technologies for which a patent entitled Self Recovery Impact Absorbing Footwear (US# 9,730,486) was issued in 2017.
SEI has an exclusive license to these sole technologies, created by a development team led by Christopher Brown, a professor of mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (“WPI”).
SmartSpring™ technologies can be manufactured into athletic shoes and are designed to significantly reduce the likelihood of knee and ankle injuries, in sports and other activities.
The four utility patent filings call for:
- Creating an adjustable response elastic or electromagnetic kinetic energy converter and storage field system for mitigating forward/backward, lateral and twisting movement
- Developing an impact-absorbing footwear protrusion (cleat)
- Designing downwards-absorbing and upwards-accommodating footwear heel
- Creating a tunable stiffness spring system for mitigating forward/backward, lateral and twisting movement
“We believe the SmartSpring™ sole technology can dramatically change the way we look at preventing sports injuries – specifically those involving the knee and ankle,” stated Ed Cowle, CEO of SEI. “The sole, 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 expect to reduce injuries for athletes everywhere with these technologies. Young people should learn life lessons by playing sports, rather than recovering from injuries. Older people should be able to enjoy playing longer and more comfortably,” said Brown, who is guiding the WPI student team.
The unique SmartSpring™ sole has revolutionary spring systems that can be integrated into virtually any shoe. When wearing such a shoe during athletic activity, the patented sole system absorbs energy from unusual movements, such as abrupt “pivots”. Without this technology, the energy could otherwise result in potentially injurious stresses on the knees or ankles. This mitigates loads and should result in reduced risks of ACL and ankle injuries without diminishing performance.
Added Robert Daniels, President of SEI, “The SmartSpring™ technology can also be incorporated into existing and new shoe designs for utility, hospitality, military and other footwear to improve comfort and reduce bodily stresses.”
ABOUT SPORTS ENGINEERING, INC.
Sports Engineering, Inc (“SEI”) is a sports technology company that specializes in identifying, developing and commercializing innovative and disruptive sports technologies and other intellectual property. The company owns the exclusive marketing and manufacturing rights to the SmartSpring™ suite of technologies developed by WPI.
ABOUT WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a purpose-driven community of educators and researchers, has been the global leader in project-based learning for 50 years. An impact maker for higher education and the world, WPI prepares confident, competent problem solvers with a project-based curriculum that immerses students in authentic real-world experiences.