After much controversy surrounding Nike apparel in the last few years, the company has just announced a new shoe line to help our everyday heroes. From nurses, doctors, home health professionals and all others that work tirelessly to support patients, those heroes will now have a new shoe to help them get through the day.
The Nike Air Zoom Pulse is a shoe is the sneaker that was designed with the help of professionals and will have key element designs featured such as;
- The laceless upper features a protective PU-coated synthetic vamp for easy cleaning
- An elastic strap keeps the heel securely contained, and allows for flexible and easy one-handed entry
- The durable, full-rubber outsole incorporates a water-dispersive traction pattern
- The subtle Asterix logo references Nike’s company mission and the belief that “If you have a body, you are an athlete.”
Product testing and medical-worker insights — those on-the-ground athletes — took place at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital located in Portland, Oregon. During the sessions, the designers of the Air Zoom Pulse learned the rigors of these health-care workers’ day-to-day efforts.
“Nurses, for example, walk approximately four to five miles and sit for less than an hour during the course of a 12-hour shift. The work is physically and mentally demanding. The design for the Air Zoom Pulse tackles those challenges with simplicity in mind. The shoe is easy to get on and off, and equally simple to clean. The fit, cushioning and traction systems work together to secure the foot in all hospital conditions,” said Nike in an official press release online.
The design confronts a range of medical-worker-specific challenges. How can a shoe be both comfortable for long stretches of standing and versatile enough to support the hurried movements required in emergency situations? The answer comes through the Pulse’s full-rubber outsole, a flexible drop-in midsole with Zoom Air heel unit and a heel fit so secure, it feels like a soft, snug hug.
“One can think of the Air Zoom Pulse as almost a traditional clog made athletically — all the arch and posture support of that industry favorite is augmented in the Pulse, with a smooth capacity for natural motion,” the company added.
Of course, the shoe is also fabricated for the unforeseen peculiarities of life in the hospital. The coated toe box protects against any type of spill. Smooth surfaces present a unique challenge when designing for spills as well, and the shoe’s traction pattern solves for this by removing closed cells.
