A method for controlling footwear, comprising cushioning a transient force
during use of the footwear at a first period of a gait cycle, storing
energy from said cushioning, and releasing the stored energy during use
of the footwear at a second period of the gait cycle, and after said
transient force has subsided. The control can be electronic, mechanical
or hydraulic, and is preferably dependent on a sensed gait cycle phase.
The control may be adaptive to the user or the use of the footwear. The
stored energy can be used to assist in locomotion, to generate electrical
energy, to drive a heat pump, or simply dissipated.