Nike patents shoes with movable pins in the sole that touch the ground
Nike has filed a patent for a shoe design where the sole contains holes with individual pins that slide freely through them. These pins are attached to the shoe's upper part but extend down to touch the ground, allowing them to move independently within the sole structure.
In the filing’s own words
An article of footwear can include an upper and a sole member coupled to the upper, where the sole member comprises a plurality of spaced apart apertures extending through the sole member. The article of footwear can further include a plurality of individual sensory nodes, where each sensory node has a first end coupled directly to the upper and an opposite, second end configured to engage with a ground surface. Each sensory node is configured to translate freely within a respective aperture of the sole member.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An article of footwear comprising: an upper; a sole member coupled to the upper, the sole member including an inward-facing surface, an outward-facing surface opposite the inward-facing surface, and a plurality of apertures extending between the inward-facing surface and the outward-facing surface; and a plurality of sensory nodes that are unattached to one another and spaced away from the sole member, wherein each sensory node extends through a respective aperture of the plurality of apertures, wherein each sensory node includes a first end directly coupled to the upper and a second end opposite the first end and configured to engage with a ground surface, wherein for each sensory node, when not interacting with the ground surface: the first end of each sensory node is positioned substantially flush with the inward-facing surface of the sole member, and the second end of each sensory node is positioned adjacent to or protrudes outward from the outward-facing surface of the sole member.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- SENSORY SOLE STRUCTURE FOR AN ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR
- Publication number
- US20260305760A1
- Application number
- 19713161
- Filed
- Jun 18, 2026
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 21
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
A43B 13/14 Human necessitiesA43B 1/04 Human necessitiesA43B 7/1455 Human necessitiesA43B 13/12 Human necessitiesMore from Nike in Wearables
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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.