Satra's new sweating foot

Satra can now test how footwear responds to rising temperatures by using an artificial foot and making it sweat! This new test simulates heat and perspiration generated by the foot inside a shoe. The results will benefit manufacturers and consumers seeking the ultimate comfortable shoe. It comprises a moulded foot which incorporates electrical heating elements and pumps which force a controlled amount of water through hundreds of tiny holes on its surface. The required temperature can be set and monitored, and the power consumption is measured to determine how hard the system has to work to maintain that temperature. This equates to how hot a real person would feel. Pumps feed water to separate zones or regions of the foot at independently controllable rates. An absorbent sock or skin then disperses the moisture over the surface of the foot. A test shoe is placed on the foot in a controlled flow of air. Since the foot is warm, the water evaporates to produce a high humidity in-shoe environment, the degree to which this happens will depend on the materials' permeability and absorption properties. 'There has long been a need for a reliable laboratory test of whole shoe sweat management performance both with respect to performance and everyday footwear', says Satra comfort expert Mike Wilson. 'This first-phase development from Satra has already produced some positive results.'