NEW YORK — In what it described as “a new era in design and manufacturing,” Adidas on Thursday officially unveiled its Futurecraft 4-D, performance-oriented footwear with midsoles finessed with light and oxygen-infused technology.
Silicon Valley-based Carbon pioneered the Digital Light Synthesis, which created Adidas Futurecraft’s teethlike-molded midsoles. Through analysis of 17 years of athlete-driven running data, the digital-enhanced footwear wipes out the need for traditional prototyping or moulding in the design process. In doing so, Adidas has developed a different manufacturing scale and athletic performance component, leaving behind 3-D printing.
Eric Liedtke, Adidas Group executive board member responsible for global brands, said, “With Digital Light Synthesis, we venture beyond limitations of the past, unlocking a new era in design and manufacturing. By charting a new course for our industry, we can unleash our creativity — transforming not just what we make but how we make it.”
Carbon’s programmable resin platform is said to enhance technical-oriented features, durability and elastomeric responsiveness. This month, Adidas is releasing 300 hundred pairs of Futurecraft 4-D to friends and family, and 5,000 pairs will be available at retail for fall.
Digital Light Synthesis was created by Carbon blending hardware, software and molecular science. The effort brings together Adidas designers,
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