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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Neural Networks for Modeling the Contact Foot-Shoe Upper

subject

description

Recently, important advances in virtual reality have made possible real improvements in computer aided design, CAD. These advances are being applied to all the fields and they have reached to the footwear design. The majority of the interaction foot-shoe simulation processes have been focused on the interaction between the foot and the sole. However, few efforts have been made in order to simulate the interaction between the shoe upper and the foot surface. To simulate this interaction, flexibility tests (characterization of the relationship between exerted force and displacement) are carried out to evaluate the materials used for the shoe upper. This chapter shows a procedure based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) to reduce the number of flexibility tests that are needed for a comfortable shoe design. Using the elastic parameters of the material as inputs to the ANN, it is possible to find a neural model that provides a unique equation for the relationship between force and displacement instead of a different characteristic curve for each material. Achieved results show the suitability of the proposed approach.