Adaptive Midsole:
MIT Self-Assembly Lab x Adidas
Self-Assembly Lab, MIT:
Thaddeus Lee, Il Hwan Kim, Kimball Kaiser, Hamilton Forsythe, Ning Zhang, David Mora Armendariz, Jared Laucks, Skylar Tibbits
MIT Sports Lab:
Peko Hosoi, Christina Chase
Adidas:
Iain Hannah, Mark Henderson, Fionn Corcoran-Tadd(Design Support), Jochen Suessmuth(Data Visualization), My Le Nguyen(Pattern Making), Tobias Luckfiel(Athlete Science)
The Adaptive Midsole is a footwear technology that utilizes granular convection to adapt to an athlete’s unique foot strike. Granular convection is a phenomenon where particles of different size and morphology self-sort when they are agitated. This research is part of an initiative to develop footwear that evolves over time to deliver individualized performance. It seeks to address two significant challenges in footwear: a growing need for individual customization and the complexity of mass-producing customized products.
Shoes were developed that evolve from an undifferentiated state, into a unique pattern of cushioning and structure through use. Our work investigates granular convection, including container and particle design, and its response within a midsole over approximately 20,000 strides, equivalent to a full marathon. A series of wear tests demonstrated that softer particles move up to cushion points of impact, while stiffer particles move below to provide structure. The final shoe midsoles were printed in silicone with Rapid Liquid Printing to withstand repeated compressions while maintaining necessary flexibility and strength.
