Nike patents ultrasound tech to suggest shoes based on muscle stiffness
This patent describes a system that uses ultrasound to measure how stiff or elastic a person's muscles are. It compares these measurements over time and links them to specific exercises and shoe types to suggest the best footwear for your body's current condition.
In the filing’s own words
Systems and methods described herein include receiving, by a processor, one or more data files from an ultrasound shear wave elastography apparatus configured to capture viscoelastic tissue properties in an area of a subject using ultrasound shear wave electrography, processing the one or more data files to compute viscoelastic tissue parameters related to the area of the subject, compiling the viscoelastic tissue parameters and one or more associated data file identifiers to generate a processed data file, wherein the one or more associated data file identifiers includes at least one of: user characteristics, exercise characteristics, a footwear type, or an apparel type, and generating a recommendation report, wherein the recommendation report includes a footwear recommendation selected based on one or more trends from the viscoelastic tissue parameters.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A computer-assisted method comprising: receiving, by a processor, one or more data files from an ultrasound shear wave elastography apparatus configured to capture viscoelastic tissue properties in an area of a subject using ultrasound shear wave electrography; generating a processed data file based on viscoelastic tissue parameters and one or more associated data file identifiers, wherein the one or more associated data file identifiers include at least one of: user characteristics, exercise characteristics, a footwear type, or an apparel type; analyzing the processed data file relative to one or more other data files obtained over a period of time to assess a change in muscular elasticity in association with an athletic activity and to assess a muscle soreness profile; and generating a recommendation panel that includes a footwear recommendation, wherein the footwear recommendation is determined based on the change in muscular elasticity and based on muscular elasticity trends for the athletic activity.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- Processing and analyzing ultrasound shear wave elastography images
- Patent number
- US12740766B2
- Application number
- 18976584
- Filed
- Dec 11, 2024
- Granted
- Sep 22, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
A61B 8/485 Human necessitiesA61B 8/5207 Human necessitiesA61B 8/5292 Human necessitiesMore from Nike in Health & body
Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.