Horse hooves inspire footwear design

An Israeli design student took horse hooves, which act as a circulatory pump that sends blood flowing up the legs, as her inspiration for a shoe to improve circulation in people with diabetes and peripheral artery disease.

After learning that daily leg massage has a beneficial effect on blood flow, Lilach Steiner designed a shoe, named the Flow, that takes of advantage of body weight to create a massage effect through inner ridges that apply automatic, constant pressure to improve plantar blood flow.

Steiner, who created the shoe as a project for her program at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, won a scholarship from the Manufacturers Association of Israel to help fund development of the Flow.