Sometimes innovation means less rather than more. Here is a nice piece from Time Magazine about Galahad Clark, a GlobalGiving supporter who is emerging as a leading innovator in the running shoe business.
While many shoe companies are concentrating on fancier and fancier shoes with more and more bells and whistles, Galahad's company, Terra Plana, is concentrating instead on what works best for runners. Along with a couple of other innovators (especially Nike), Terra Plana is at the forefront of developing minimalist "barefoot" shoes that help emulate the way our feet and legs naturally strike the ground.