by Brendan Dunne
MIT's Self-Assembly Lab has created a futuristic new shoe that configures itself, allowing the shape of the upper to mold to the wearer's foot.
3Ders.org explains the complicated technology involved as an active textile created by "3D printing plastic material in varied layer thicknesses and in programmed patterns onto stretched textiles." The textile is able to "jump" out of its stretched position and into a pre-programmed shape.
As 3D printing an entire shoe is a very involved process, the approach on this design limits the additive manufacturing to the parts of the upper that aren't active. The researches behind the project said that the final product could have its upper and sole 3D printed, or a 3D printed upper combined with a more traditional sole.
Get a more detailed breakdown of the technology behind this exciting sneaker innovation at 3Ders.org.
