Abstract: For accurately positioning a shoe upper on its last preliminarily to a pulling over and toe lasting operation, the machine comprises an optical scanning system (20) by which, in cooperation with a central processor unit (22), coordinate axis values can be determined for selected portions of the topline region of the shoe upper (the "actual" values) and be compared with a set of taught data relevant to the shoe style, such taught data representing the positions in which the selected portions of the topline region of the shoe upper are to be located (the "should be" values), the central processor unit (22) comparing the actual and "should be" values and supplying correction signals to motors (16) associated one with each of the pincers (10, 12) whereby the shoe upper is selectively tensioned in order to achieve the desired location of the topline region of the shoe upper on its last.

Abstract: The supports (9; 35) by which adhesive-applying nozzles (6) are supported in a shoe machine, e.g. a cement lasting machine, for tracking movement along opposite portions of a shoe bottom (5), are provided with mountings (34) by each of which either such a nozzle (6) or a sensing head (20) can be supported. In the latter case, as the sensing heads (20) are moved in the X-direction under the control of a stepping motor (18), the heads sense the edge of the insole (which may be provided with a black line (23, 24) and by feedback signals are caused to follow it, thereby determining the Y-axis movement corresponding to the X-axis movement necessary to guide the nozzle in the subsequent adhesive-applying operation. The Y-axis movement is stored at memory locations for which the X-direction movement values constitute the address.