data-driven midsoles with New Balance

Year

2015

Tags

3dprint, client, footwear

links

our blog post
New Balance press release

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Nervous System is working with New Balance to develop functional 3D-printed midsoles for performance running shoes. We have created proprietary systems to generate midsole designs from pressure data from runners, making it possible to create variable density cushioning that is customized to how a person runs. This ongoing project has given us a unique opportunity to apply our generative design techniques to a new domain.

New Balance will start selling shoes with 3D-printed midsoles in April 2016, with a customized version to debut in 2017. You can read more about that in our blog and their press release.

  1. new balance shoes with 3D-printed midsoles

    photo courtesy of New Balance

  2. Data midsoles

    The midsole on the left is generated from the underfoot pressure data of a person who runs with a midfoot strike and the right mid…

  3. NB: Future of Sport - generator

  4. New Balance customizer demo at Digital Factory Conference, MIT Media Lab

    photo by Onur Gun

  5. New Balance customizer demo at Digital Factory Conference, MIT Media Lab

    photo by Onur Gun

  6. video: Generating a New Balance 3D-printed midsole from pressure data

    Unlike traditional midsoles, these are not a uniform foam but a structure that can be adapted to different runners. We have design…

  7. Running data visualization

    underfoot pressure data from a midfoot strike runner

  8. Flexible 3D Printed Midsole from New Balance

    photo courtesy of New Balance

  9. photo courtesy of New Balance

  10. cutting through a midsole

  11. equipotential midsole concept

    One series of experiments explored generating directional structures for the midsole that follow the gradient of the pressure data…

  12. equipotential midsole concept

    photo courtesy of New Balance

  13. equipotential midsole concept

  14. equipotential midsole concept

  15. equipotential midsole concept

  16. data to design concept midsoles

    a selection of some of the midsole concepts we designed

  17. Hyphae midsole concept

    Another set of prototypes looked at growing more loosely interconnected structures based on our Hyphae system.

  18. Hyphae midsole concept

  19. Hyphae midsole concept

  20. generation process

  21. Team New Balance Athlete Brenda Martinez Wear Tests the New Balance 3D Printed Performance Running Shoe

    photo courtesy of New Balance