Inflashoe: A Shape Changing Shoe to Control Underfoot Pressure

We present Inflashoe, an interactive shoe that uses a pneumatic system to change the inflation level within the sole. This allows the shoe to adapt its shape to different surfaces and users' foot morphology, or to alter users' gait. Inflashoe can not only change the overall inflation, but can also individually control the inflation of the back and front of the insole, creating different levels of elevation across the shoe when needed. In this paper we describe our prototype implementation and present the results of a preliminary evaluation study. We show that 85% of participants found Inflashoe to be equal to or more comfortable than their ordinary shoes, and that nearly 60% of them would prefer comfort to style. In the light of the results, we then discuss the potential applications of Inflashoe, in particular targeting specific kinds of pain or injury.