The Difference, a brand-new shoe company is marketing a running shoe that has no heel.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1594758339/the-difference-your-bodys-favorite-running-shoes
They base their design in the research of Dr. Etienne Parker of Boston University and their research on the correlation where we strike in our stride and injuries caused by the different types of strikes. Though their Kickstarter failed, do you think some bigger shoe company will take up this new technology?
Skechers M-Strike FTW.
The Difference is a 1979 shoe design with a chopped off heel. Okay.
I read that Nike tested heelless as part of its Breaking 2 project. The theory was that it would reduce the weight of the shoe and the athletes don't use the heel part anyway. Turns out that's not completely true; it is touched as part of the gait cycle, and the athletes complained that it felt weird.
Bottom line is no. No one is going to take up this "new technology." It's not exactly a huge leap given the anti-heel strike emphasis in recent years and I'm guessing Nike is not the only company that's tried it. There's a reason you haven't already seen it and that's because it doesn't work.
Those are some ugly shoes
What is the downside of just leaving a heel there and not using it?
It seems like if I plan to do anything other than running in a straight line on flat surfaces, I would want a heel in my shoe. For example, I would like to be able to walk in my running shoes before and after runs while I am stretching, getting water, etc. Also, if I am running on uneven surfaces, my heel definitely contacts the ground fairly hard on some steps.
Being on Kickstarter contraindicates product viability