A Goleta company has invented a new style of shoes to help elderly, disabled and others who have difficulty walking get back on their feet again.

Cadense, led by Kathy O’Dell, Tyler Susko and Johannes Sauer, has created a stylish, variable-friction shoe that assists people with walking difficulties. The shoes are made for people who struggle to move their feet forward.

They might have ailments from issues stemming from Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy or a traumatic brain injury.

“We are helping them with mobility, but we are also helping them get more stability and balance and more confidence to move,” O’Dell said. “They have lost that confidence, but this is giving it back to them.”

O’Dell, whose father died after a fall and a broken hip, said about 12 million people in the United States have difficulty taking that first step and that 1 in 3 Americans older than age 65 fall every year.

She was the CEO of Women’s Economic Ventures and Inogen before the Cadense venture.

The science behind the shoe is the work of Susko, a professor at UCSB. He has a doctorate in rehabilitation robotics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“I was building robots for people to deliver physical therapy,” he said.

The treadmill machine helped people walk through therapy, but the machine didn’t make it to market because it would cost $500,000, and not a lot of places would purchase that.

So, he moved to developing a shoe that would allow people who have foot drop to slide on the front of their shoe but then gain traction again when they compress or step on it.

He received a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to do a clinical trial at Northwestern University.

“It really does change people’s lives,” O’Dell said. “People who are homebound feel like they can get out again.”

The company went to market with the shoe in 2024.

The shoes are sold online at cadense.com. The company ships to the United States, Canada and, later this year, the United Kingdom. About 400 medical professionals recommend the product. Cadense also gets the word out through online advertising and word of mouth.

Sauer helped make the shoe stylish so that it doesn’t look like a medical shoe. It sells for about $199. Women’s sizes range from 5 to 12 and men’s from 8 to 15.

Corque Hotel Rebrands

The Corque Hotel in Solvang has joined Marriott Bonvoy’s Tribute Portfolio.

Owned and operated by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, the Corque Hotel will participate in Marriott Bonvoy — the award-winning travel program from Marriott International — allowing members to earn and redeem points for their stay at the hotel, and at other hotels and resorts across Marriott International’s portfolio of brands, according to a news release.

The Tribute Portfolio has more than 155 hotels in more than 30 countries.

“We are excited to begin this new journey as a unique property within Marriott’s growing Tribute Portfolio,” said Scott Gold, executive director of hospitality for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “Our new partnership with Marriott makes Corque Hotel an even more enjoyable, go-to hotel to stay at while visiting the Danish Capital of America.”

Curaté Boutique Plans a Grand Opening

Curaté, a new boutique for home decor, antiques and art, is making itself at home at 617 E. Gutierrez St. in Santa Barbara, upstairs at The Art of Consignment.

Owner Carly Pippin has a professional background in museums and the art world.

“I’m opening a retail shop focused on beautiful objects that have a story, sense of history, and evoke the experience of travel and connoisseurship,” she said.

The grand opening is planned from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Namaste Closes

Indian food restaurant Namaste has closed in the 1200 block of State Street in Santa Barbara.