You may not have been born with an engine to power your movement, but thanks to 21st century technology, you can certainly add one. No, we’re not talking about turning you into a bionic human, or implanting another heart into your body. Rather, you can introduce an engine to your system by way of Footbeat, a new wearable that features a “small yet powerful engine” to provide “precise, cyclic compression to the arch of the foot.”
Available as either insoles or an entire shoe system (which includes a pair of sneakers that the company calls “Mocs”), the Footbeat claims to speed recovery, remove metabolic waste like lactate, and assist in proper healing by increasing circulation throughout your lower body. Think of it as a heart for your foot — exactly what you’ve always wanted.
Meant for folks who are recovering from an edema, venous insufficiency, lymphedema, plantar fasciitis, foot ulcers, or peripheral neuropathy, Footbeat hopes to help get folks back on their feet and active once again.
Last January, AVEX LLC, the Colorado-based medical device company behind Footbeat, announced that it had raised $7.6 million to launch the wearable later in the year. “We’re bringing a device to market that will transform lives through improved health and athletic recovery,” AVEX CEO Matt Mayer said in a statement at the time. And now, Footbeat is well and truly available.
In the arch of the insole lies a foot pump, or plantar venous plexus. When the wearable is turned on, the pump applies pressure in regular intervals to the arch of your foot, mimicking the pressure you would create if you were, say, walking around or running. As Footbeat explains on its website, “The single-pulse massage motion is applied to the bottom of the foot (every 35 seconds for Footbeat Health and every 20 seconds for the Footbeat Sport). The pad rises into the arch of the foot and holds for two seconds.”
While you’re moving, you can give Footbeat a rest, but the idea is that the wearable aids in active recovery, particularly for folks with poor lower body circulation. While clinical studies suggest that Footbeat is indeed quite effective, it’s a rather pricy system. The entire system, including the shoes, insoles, and a remote for easy control of the massaging pressure, is available for purchase for $449.
