Oh, patents! HOKA (1)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann  

The term HOKA, meaning “to fly over the earth” in the Maori language of New Zealand, depicts the silhouette of a bird soaring on the brand name “O”. The brand name HOKA is consonant with the founders’ desire to design footwear that would properly cushion trail running, while providing propulsion for speed that would be as effortless and exhilarating as downhill skiing. A sport all too familiar to both founders, born and raised in the French Alps, having nurtured a life-long love of the outdoors, skiing in particular. Thus, according to Jean-Luc Diard, one of the co-founders, HOKA footwear was designed XXXL (i.e., both extra, extra, extra light, and extra, extra, extra large) to harness the required patented performances enabling users to "fly over the earth" running, jogging or walking.

HOKA was founded in Annecy (France) in 2009, gaining almost immediate traction within the sports community. Deckers, the American, multinational, shoe and apparel company then acquired HOKA in 2013, transforming HOKA into a very popular international, multi-million-dollar business.

Propulsion and cushioning in HOKA footwear for running, jogging or walking, is a patented invention. The US utility patent, US12022912B2, titled Footwear with stabilizing sole, was awarded on July 2nd, 2024, to Jean-Luc Diard, (FR); Stephen Liu, (CN); Vincent Bouillard, (FR) and Christophe Aubonnet, (FR). The patent is assigned to Deckers Outdoor Corporation in Goleta, California.

The patent recites stabilizing footwear with inventive cushioning and suspension to harness the problem of shock absorption when the user’s body impacts the ground. The force of impact for each foot striking the ground is 5 times the user’s weight, with the highest impact at the heel area. When properly channeled and cushioned, the force of impact also serves to propulse the body forward. Thus, the invention footwear cleverly addresses the forces of impact and propulsion in the design of HOKA soles.

Figure 1, extracted from the patent, depicts a right side view of the HOKA invention footwear 20, comprising a sole 22 with a midsole 24 and an outsole 26. The outsole 26 has a bottom surface 112, in contact with the ground 34. The midsole 24, which provides cushioning, extends from a heel portion 30 to a toe portion 36. The midsole 24 has three thicknesses: T1 at the heel 30 portion, measuring 3.5 to 4.5 cm; T2 at midfoot 38, measuring 4 to 6 cm; and T3, measuring 3 to 5 cm at the forefoot 40 of the footwear. The midsole 24 also has a certain height from the ground 34 at the heel portion and another height from the ground 34 at the toe portion 36, so that the midsole curves down from the heel portion 30 to the midfoot 38, and then curves up from the midfoot 38 to the toe portion 36. Both midsole curves are part of what is designated Metarocker™ technology for HOKA marketing, designed to assist in propelling the body forward with each stride.

A strap 110 is positioned above the heel portion 30 that the user can grab to adjust the footwear. A wider stabilizing portion 44 beneath the rear portion 86 of the midsole 24, extends beyond the midsole 24 to provide balance and stability on various uneven surfaces, such as on trails. The side 98 of the vamp 96 has tabs 102 with loops, and tabs 106 with holes, to enable threading of laces. A tongue 54 forms part of the upper 28, connected to the sole.

To further propel the body forward various carbon fiber or metal supports are embedded in the sole, depending on the model. Figure 76 depicts one embodiment of the Metarocker™ sole support 446. This support 446 comprises a first support member 448 with an upper part 452 and a lower part 456; and a second support member 450 with a support part 458 and a lower part 460. The support is designed to flex and release with each stride, to enhance propulsion.

The abstract of the invention is included below, together with an image of one the many HOKA footwear models, specifically the Speedgoat 6 GTX for women.

A footwear component that includes a sole including a recessed area and a support member positioned in the recessed area, where the support member includes a main support, a front support that extends at least partially over a front end of the main support, and a rear support that extends at least partially below a rear end of the main support. A cushion member is positioned between the front support and the main support or the rear support and the main support, where the cushion member is configured to control movement of the front support or the rear support. [Abstract US12022912B2]

References

Deckers Brands

https://www.deckers.com/

HOKA (website)

https://www.hoka.com/en/us

HOKA (Aug, 21, 2024) Humans of Hoka. Interview with the founders Nicolas Mermoud and JL Diard. Hoka.com
https://www.hoka.com/en/us/blog-post/?id=humans-of-hoka-the-founders

Oh, patents! The SoftFoot Pro, a motorless robotic foot.

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Designed at the Italian Institute of Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia), the fully passive (motorless), anthropomorphic and flexible SoftFoot Pro was invented to improve the state of the art in prosthetic feet, preferably fitted to a human limb, but also compatible with a humanoid robot. Specifically, the Softfoot Pro was designed to remedy the incidence of falls among lower limb prosthetic users (LLPUs), 50% of whom experience falls at least once a year, resulting in additional injury (Pace, A., Dimitrov, H., Jakubowitz, E. et al. (2026). 

Indeed, according to the inventors, the prior art of prosthetic feet is generally too rigid and/or heavy to readily negotiate uneven or rugged terrain. In turn, stepping on obstacles risks destabilizing and altering the LLPUs’ gait, invoking a fall or long-term sequela such as osteoarthritis. Surface obstacles also place an extra burden on the cognition of LLPUs in the effort to alter their stride, and the extra attention required to successfully negotiate uneven-surface hurdles. Thus, the SoftFoot Pro was created to conform to uneven surfaces, even slippery ones. Ultimately, the SoftFoot Pro was designed to respond to any surface, while creating a comfortable and easy stride for LLPUs, and minimizing cognitive stress. Because of its designed anthropomorphic flexibility, emulating the tarsus, metatarsus, and phalanges skeletal anatomy, as well as the plantar fascia, the SoftFoot Pro also facilitates the performance of everyday tasks, such as bending on one knee to tie a shoelace.

The SoftFoot Pro invention is recited in the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) patent WO2026003774A1, titled Robotic foot. The patent was awarded on February 1st, 2026, to seven inventors: Antonio Bicchi, Manuel Giuseppe Catalano, Giorgio Grioli, Manel  Barbarossa, Emanuele Sessa, Anna Pace and Matteo Crotti. The joint applicants were Fondazione Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, in Genoa, Italy, and the Università Di Pisa, in Italy. 

Below, the patent Figure 1 depicting a perspective view of the SoftFoot Pro (1), together with the Abstract of the invention, indexing the drawing. In a nutshell, the patent Figure 1 depicts the titanium mobile arch system (4) of the foot (1), with a hinge (6), defining a rotational axis, and connected to a joint (2), receiving the fitted human limb or humanoid device. The arch system (4) is connected to five parallel plastic chains, forming a surface contact organ (3). Each of the parallel plastic chains is made of high-strength automotive plastic modules, each connected via an inextensible transversal cable, attached at the heel (5) of the foot (1). The plastic chains have two rotational axes (3a) and (3b), with pairs of plastic links between each module. The inextensible cable system is meant to emulate the biomechanical windlass phenomenon, which stiffens the fascia to stabilize the arch by evenly distributing forces to the ground, whereas the plastic links provide flexibility to the modules, also functioning as shock absorbers. 

A foot (1) is configured to rest on a walkable surface (1b) and comprising: a joint (2) to a prosthesis (1a); a contact organ (3) defining a deformable contact area of the foot (1) with the walkable surface (1b); a first body (4) defining the frontal arch of the foot (1), a first end (4a) proximal to the joint (2) and an additional first end (4b); a second body (5) defining the heel of the foot (1), a second extremity (5a) proximal to the joint (2) and an additional second extremity (5b) distal to the attachment (2); an ankle hinge (6) defining a main axis (6a) of mutual rotation between the first body (4), second body (5) and joint (2) and interposed between both first extremities (4a, 4b) and second extremities (5a, 5b). The foot also involves the contact organ (3) connecting the additional ends (4b, 5b); and also first elastic means (7) and second elastic means (8) connecting the first end (4a) and second end (5a) to the joint (2), respectively.

[Abstract WO2026003774A1]

Below, the close-up image of a marketed SoftFoot embodiment, together with an Italian Institute of Technology (ITT) Youtube video. 

.

References

Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)
https://www.iit.it/
IIT (07-11-2024). Introducing SoftFoot Pro: a cutting-edge motorless, flexible and waterproof artificial foot. Italian Institute of Technology.
https://opentalk.iit.it/en/introducing-softfoot-pro-a-cutting-edge-motorless-flexible-and-waterproof-artificial-foot/
Pace, A., Dimitrov, H., Jakubowitz, E. et al. (2026). The SoftFoot Pro: an anthropomorphic and adaptive soft articulated prosthetic foot. Nature Communications 17, 1459 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-68194-2
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-68194-2

Oh, patents! Neo, the human-safe 1X housekeeper robot (3)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Neo is a mechanically human-safe robot. This means that a patented solution has been invented to make Neo capable of interacting safely with humans in an uncontrolled residential environment. Indeed, most robots operating in factories perform repetitive tasks in highly controlled environments (e.g., lifting heavy objects from one conveyor belt to another). These are programmed tasks where it would be dangerous for humans to inadvertently come between the robot’s task and its movement path. This would be dangerous because industrial robots are unequipped with means to react to the unexpected presence of a human. The high-gear-ratio motors driving industrial robotic movement would require a combination of dozens of sensors, each with complex control algorithms, which would be far too costly to enable the robots to safely interact with humans. Thus, in an industrial setting, a human could not push a robotic arm driven by a high-gear-ratio [1:200] motor, because even the smallest movement would create huge resistance from the motor, termed back-drivability, which is essentially impossible. According to patent specification: the insensitivity of a driving motor system scales with the square of the gear ratio.

The human-safe patented solution invented for Neo, the 1X housekeeper robot, is a cable-driven, very high-torque, direct-drive [1:1 gear ratio] motor with a Halbach magnetic array structure. This patented design lightens the weight of the motor, making limb movement far more accurate, and far better adapted to humanoid-sized robotic limb movement. Most importantly, the patented low-gear-ratio design enables humans to interact with the robot. In other words, a human can apply force and influence the movement of a robot’s limbs, without creating resistance, thus preventing the robot from harming a human. Additionally, direct human interaction with the robot’s motorized limbs reduces the need for costly sensors and their associated algorithms, to control the robot's limb movement.

The human-safe motor design invention embodied in Neo, the 1X household robot, is recited in  a family of four patents, including the US utility patent application US20200083763, titled Human-like direct drive robot. The inventors on record are Phuong Nguyen and Bernt Ølivind Børnich, founder and CEO of 1X*, the company that produces and markets NEO, in Hayward, California. The patent application was published March 12th, 2020, and abandoned. 

Below, the extracted patent Figure 6, together with the Abstract of the invention. The patent Figure 6 depicts a human-like robot 400, and more specifically, the robot’s torso 410. The robot's torso 410 further indexes two upper limbs 404, elbow joints 408, and one of the llmb portions 406, comprising a hollow sleeve that houses an (undepicted) ball bearing system for the cable system that drives the transmission of motor torque to the limbs.

An image of Neo’s fingers, stripped of their 3D polymer “skin” and knitted cover, is also included below the abstract.    

The present disclosure relates to a motor, in particular a compact, lightweight, and high-torque motor. The rotor comprises a Halbach array magnet structure in which the projected magnetic field is directed toward the rotation axis of the motor and the stator comprises a plurality of poles within the Halbach array. The individual magnets making up the Halbach array have a thickness in the radial direction, with respect to the rotation axis, which is determined to be the minimum thickness required to stop demagnetization of the magnets when the maximum current to generate peak torque output of the motor is driven through the stator at the maximum expected temperature at which the motor will be used. 

(Abstract US20200083763A1)

Note

* Former Halodi Robotics  AS, in Norway.

Reference

1X (Company website)

https://www.1x.tech/

Oh, patents! Neo, the pinch-proof 1X housekeeper robot (2)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Neo, the robot, weighs about 66 pounds and measures 5.6 feet. Neo is whisper-quiet at about 22 decibels, which is quieter than a refrigerator. The robot runs on a battery for about four hours, and then recharges in about 20 minutes. Neo is completely wrapped in a 3D-printed polymer "skin", and a washable knitted suit, which makes Neo completely pinch-proof. This means that no one can get their fingers or hair stuck in the robots moving mechanical parts. Neo also wears customizable shoes. The video below shows Neo from the inside out. 

Reference
1X (Company website)
https://www.1x.tech/

Oh, patents! Neo the 1X housekeeper robot (1)

Copyright © Françoise Herrnann

The Norwegian start-up, 1X, backed by Open AI, released its first bipedal, humanoid housekeeper robot, on April 30th, 2026. The robot’s name is Neo.

As an interactive, residential home assistant, Neo is intended to automate household tasks. Tasks programmed for Neo to autonomously execute, such as cleaning, fetching (eg., a glass of water), loading and unloading the dishwasher, answering the front door, vacuuming, taking out the trash, unloading packages from a car trunk, cracking walnuts, plus more. Indeed, almost any task you can think of, since Noe learns by watching. 

For Neo to learn the new complex tasks, you might schedule a 1X Expert Mode Session, where a remote company technician walks Neo through all the new tasks—in Virtual Reality, using Neo’s camera eyes. A process that raises controversy, considering that the remote technician, or anyone else, is gaining access, through the robot's camera eyes, to the inside of your home, during the expert session. To which 1X responds: "You have to be OK with this, for the product to be useful."

The video below shows some of what Neo is capable of doing.

Neo robots are produced at a 58,000-square-foot facility in Hayward, California. The first vertically integrated humanoid factory, plus 200 workers. In other words, this facility produces everything, from raw materials to finished robot, including motors, sensors, batteries and structural transmission system. The company plans to ship 10,000 robots in 2026, the first year of operations, and then scale to 100,000 robots in 2027. Neo costs 20,000 USD or 499 USD per month. You can order one with a 200 USD deposit.

References

1X (company web site)

https://www.1x.tech/neo 

Open AI

https://openai.com/

2026 European Inventor Awards - The Jury (3).

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann 

The members of the European Inventor Awards Jury included both Young Inventor Award and former European Inventor Award recipients. 

Wolfgang M. Heckl (Chair) is the former Director General of the Deutsches Museum in Munich. He is Emeritus of Excellence at the Munich Technical University, Senior Excellence Faculty, and holds the Oskar von Miller Chair for science communication at the Technical University in Munich, where he researches molecular self-organization in nanotechnology.

Mark Kennedy Bantugon is the recipient of an EPO Young Inventor Award in 2025. Bantugon is an aeronautical engineer, materials scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur, specializing in sustainable innovation. He established Pili AdheSeal Inc., to bring to market an aircraft sealant and adhesive made from Pili Tree resin agricultural waste.

Catia Bastioli is the recipient of a European Inventor Award in 2007. Bastioli is CEO and President of the Novamont Group (acquired by Versalis, part of Eni, in 2023).

Esben Beck is the recipient of a European Inventor Award in 2019. Beck is an inventor, entrepreneur, and founder of Stingray Marine Solutions.

Nuria Espallargas is the recipient of a European Inventor Award in 2022. Espallargas is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Joachim Fiedler is the recipient of a European Inventor Award in 2022. Fiedler studied at the University of the Arts in Berlin and worked as a professional cellist in several orchestras and ensembles.

Marta Karczewicz is the recipient of the European Patent Office, life-time achievement award in 2019. Karczewicz is Vice-President of Technology at Qualcomm, where she has driven advances in data coding algorithms since 2006.

 

Gaute Munch is the recipient of a European Inventor Award in 2018. Munch joined the LEGO Group as an electronic engineer in 1997, and currently leads the company’s electrical and digital product safety. 

Marie Perrin is the recipient of an EPO Young Inventor Award in 2025. Perrin is a chemist and entrepreneur. She is currently Pioneer Fellow at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), in Zurich, leading the startup project REEcover. A project that invokes an innovative process to recover rare earth elements from electronic waste.

Laura van't Veer is the recipient of a European Inventor Award in 2015. She is Chief Research Officer and the co-founder of Agendia, a molecular diagnostics company focused solely on breast cancer. She is full professor of Laboratory Medicine at the University California, in San Francisco. 

Roujia Wen is the recipient of an EPO Young Inventor Award in 2025. She is the co-founder of Seabound, a company that builds modular, retrofittable carbon capture systems for cargo ships. 

Reference
2026 European Inventor Award  - About the Award.
https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/european-inventor-award/about-award

European Inventor Popular Prize - Vote here! (2)

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The European Patent Office (EPO) invites the public to vote for the Finalist who will receive the Popular Prize. The Popular Prize winner, solely decided by the public, will be announced on the occasion of the European Inventor Awards Ceremony, to be held in Berlin, on July 2nd, 2026. 

The rules for voting are the following:

• You may vote for one to three inventors each day until the votes are counted, during the Awards Ceremony on July 2nd. 

• Click on your first choice and then follow the prompts to accept the voting conditions.

• Registration to vote requires an authenticated email, or a social media account, the first time you vote. Click below to vote for your favorite inventors/inventions!

• Voting is free.

Click here to vote!

Reference
European Inventor Awards 2026
https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/european-inventor-award#finalists