Hands Free Boots

By Matthew J. Weetman

The trouble with lace up boots.

All boots are made incredibly smart, but they’re all the same. Everytime, you’re struggling to slip your foot into your boots and then you have to sit down on the stairs to tie it. Now, there might be a better and faster way to take your boots on and off.

How to fix the boot struggle?

• What can make putting on boots easier?
• How could it be made simple?
• They cram their foot in and don’t even take the time to fix the heel.
• Then it hit me. Just like the way people lazily take their shoes on and off.

How to make it relevant for arctic environments?

• When double checking the originality of my idea I discovered Nike is coming out with a tennis shoe that has a similar idea at the end of April.
• I didn’t want to give up on my idea, so I adapted it to make it more appropriate for winter climates.
• The idea of hands free boots was born.

What would these boots look like?

This is a small scale made out of paper cups.

The photo on the left would be its closed position, when you have your foot in.

On the right is a photo of how the boot will rest whilst your foot is not in it.

Black squares and rectangles are covering brands and logos for copyright reasons.

How does the hands free boot work?

• You slide your foot in.
• Once your heel hits the bottom of your boot, the boot will take its form.
• The spring does not pop back up due to the pressure of your foot.
• The top of your boot will be kept closed when two magnets meet.
• Creates a heat tight seal.

How the heel works.

• The spring keeps the boot in the upright position.
• The spring is not strong enough to stay up whilst your foot is in it.
• Therefore it will take the shape of a normal boot.

How do you make sure that the boots stay on?

• Near the top of the boot there will be 2 magnets on each side.
• Once the boot starts to take its shape, as a real boot, the magnets will snap together.
• Best of all, the magnets aren't even noticeable.
• The magnets are hiding inside the two layers of the boot.

Who benefits from these boots? Everyone!

• Adaptive athletes
• Anyone carrying groceries, not wanting to track dirt and snow into the house.
• Moms carrying their babies.
• Fisherman, not wanting to put down their gear before taking off their boots.
• Young children in a hurry.
• People with physical disabilities.
• Anyone with a lot of winter gear on that needs to take off their boots before tracking snow into the house.

Thank you for your time.