Just a few days ago, the Faculty of Sports Studies has opened a diagnostic and sales centre in the faculty building. This is a place where people can come to buy shoes developed by local experts in cooperation with shoemaker Josef Hanák. Anyone can come for advice about their problems, which will also provide researchers with data for their studies.
“The idea of the centre is based on functional integration of research and development: all the data collected through measurements will be used for two purposes. Visitors to the centre will receive feedback and we will obtain information we need for future research,” says research team leader Martin Zvonař.
As a part of the services of the centre, all visitors have their feet measured and receive assessment of how their feet are functioning and any issues they might have. “The key data point is the distribution of pressure on the foot while walking, as this is a true mirror image of the functional state of the foot,” describes Zvonař.
Visitors can then choose from among the shoes offered in the store or can design their own shoes from scratch and have them made.
The measurement and examination is free for university employees and students and costs 100 Czech crowns for visitors from outside the university. At the moment, the centre is open twice a week – between 4 and 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and between 8 and 10 a.m. on Wednesdays.
The centre is another sign of the continuing integration of research and commerce. The Faculty of Sports Studies sells the results of its long-term research – the insole as well as the shoes themselves are patented, with the patent co-owned by the researchers. Moreover, the people who visit the centre will help them develop future research projects. Current projects focus on the impact of shoes on the health of pregnant women and diabetic patients.