Walking
Walking, defined within the confines of the human body, means moving in a bipedal fashion, employing the legs, feet, hips, pelvis, spine, neck, and shoulders to move at a regular pace by means of lifting and setting down each foot in turn, without having both feet off the ground simultaneously. Since walking has been a necessary mode of human transport for a long time, scientists speculate since our brains began developing in a way that encouraged upright posture, there have been many adaptations made for various climates, exertions, and physical bodily necessities; like uneven leg lengths or using a cane for support. Jackets made of water-resistant materials, canvas shoes with rubber soles, backpack canteens, fitness trackers, and cleats each have important roles in facilitating walking for the human body.
Ebony Walking Stick
Date: 1931-1932
Medium: Ebony, ivory, stamped metal
Donor: Charles Mason Remey
Description: Black Ebony walking stick with curved ivory handle and tip from the early 1930s. The joint between the ivory-handle and ebony-wood body consists of a metal ring with bright, stamped settings at regular intervals around the ring. The walking stick is a personal form of gear and was used by Gertrude Heim Remey during her life.
Checkerboard Vans Shoes
Date: 1997-2005
Medium: Footwear
Donor: Cade Sadler
Description: Checkerboard slip-on Vans with worn holes and partial self-embellishment (coloring in of checkers with blue marker). The incredible wear that is overtly visible on these shoes confirms their subcultural authenticity. In Hipster circles of the late 90s and early aughts, wearing a brand new pair of checkerboard Vans is taboo, and indicates that the wearer is a "poser" (not authentically Hipster), and therefore not a "real" member of the group. Vans with holes and self-embellishments (similar with Converse sneakers as well) were considered to be authentic.
Spartan Hydration Backpack & Yellow Bike Jacket
Date: 2015
Medium: Rubber, polyester
Donor: Joe DeSana (Spartan Backpack), Susan Watkins (Yellow Bike Jacket)
Description: Staying hydrated and retaining an aerodynamic physicality is very important in efficiently being able to traverse the outdoor landscape, whether one is running, walking, hiking, or performing in another sports activity. The thoughtful design and architecture of the Spartan Hydration backpack include a “built-in pressurized hydration system that sprays water into the mouth through a bite nozzle so you don't break your breathing stride. Ergonomic design allows you to stow and carry water and essentials securely without interfering with mobility or performance.” The yellow bike jacket paired with this hydration backpack would keep harsh wind, debris, mild water from dangerously impacting the biker. Bright colors like yellow combined with reflective fabrics are excellent to ensure visibility while performing an outdoor activity in roads. The tail of the jacket flips down to cover the wearer’s bike seat and adds a reflective surface there.
FitBit inspire
Date: 2019
Medium: Wristwatch, activity tracker
Donor: Christine McDonald
Description: The FitBit Inspire is a sleek model of activity-tracking wristwatches, fabricated out of an elastomer material containing no latex and a clasp made of surgical-grade stainless steel. This particular Inspire is purple.
Maroon and Gray Climber Jacket
Date: 2000-2005
Medium: Weather-proof sympatex fabric
Donor: Wild Things
Description: Wild Things is a brand that produces outdoors/functional apparel for rock and ice climbers. This jacket is made with sympatex fabric. The sleeves have a number of seams that allow for increased arm movement. There is a zipper where a typical underarm seam should be, that may be unzipped to allow even more arm movement. There are a number of pockets on the inside and outside of the jacket. The jacket is primarily maroon, which a gray yoke and black accents. The jacket is shaped so that there is a high neck, and a hood attached.
Ice Cleats
Date: -
Medium:
Image Courtesy of St. Lawrence Island Yupik artist, Gift of Greg Quevillon, ANCHORAGE MUSEUM Collection, 1979.102.1ab
Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash
Bone or ivory ice cleats are great tools helping with better body movement on slippery ice. In the past, cleats were used for a variety of outdoor activities in winter. For instance, Ice cleats proposed Alaska Native peoples better transitioning in spring while the snow began to melt. Nowadays, mass customization offers a variety of cleats to protect wearers in the winter for various activities, including mountaineering, ice climbing and walking.
Leg Length Discrepancy
Date: 2020
Medium: Velcro
Credit:
This Shoe Leveler is an innovative shoe cover and lift designed to reduce length discrepancy between your fracture shoe, walking cast, or boot and your regular shoe by creating a more balanced gait. The Evenup™ Shoe Leveler is a leg length equalizer, acting as a balancer and leveler to eliminate low back, knee, and hip pain often associated with the use of a walking boot cast. The height is adjustable, offering two thicknesses: 1/2 inch and 1 inch. Universal right/left.
Leg Wrap
Date: 2019
Medium: Silicone elastomers, thermoplastic polyurethane-coated woven fabric, tubing
Credit: Daniel J. Preston, Haihui J. Jiang, Vanessa Sanchez, Philipp Rothemund, Jeff Rawson, Markus P. Nemitz, Won-Kyu Lee, Zhigang Suo, Conor J. Walsh, and George M. Whitesides collaborated on this project. The leg wrap was produced in Harvard Biodesign Lab led by Conor J. Walsh in the Wyss Institute and Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Publication Link | Harvard Article Link
Description: Soft wearable robots often utilize pneumatic actuation, where air inflates bladders to change shape or apply force to the wearer, and they typically require many hard valves to control the flow of air. In this work, researchers developed soft valves in a ring oscillator configuration to control airflow. Soft valves are inherently flexible and lightweight, making them amenable for wearable applications, including this textile leg wrap, in which different chambers are programmed to inflate and deflate in a sequential pattern for mechanotherapy.