the following was made in rhino and keyshot

tRAIL RUNNING IN CHANGING CONDITIONS

Mother nature always changes. This greatly affects the surfaces of the terrain we run in and distracts the runner from their goals with the amount of effort required to both keep from falling or getting injured.

Recent research at MIT has shown that we can coat polymers with a shape memory attribute. When submerged in water, these polymers can then change their shape. Could we use this technology to create a new kind of traction to adapt to mother nature?

 

SHAPE CHANGING TRACTION

Imagine you're on a run through a forest. You're suddenly running in mud and your shoes lose traction and you slip, ruining your favorite running clothes. But with this shoe, the sole adapts to wet conditions, and amplifies it's shape to compliment your footing. This allows your foot to better grab the wet, uneven surfaces you run on. 

Through the utilization of shape-memory-polymers (yellow), the shoe allows itself to change it's traction depending on the conditions.

These polymers are hydrophilic and react to water and other stimuli. The shoe itself is a sock-like design allowing the wearer to have an unprecedented natural feel when running, assisting the foot's natural ability to read the terrain.

Natural Running, Enhanced Traction

To allow the foot the most traction possible, the best solution in helping the foot read the terrain is it's ability to be as close to the ground as possible. By reducing layers between the pads of one's foot and the surface, we can enhance the running experience to feel more like an enhanced sock, rather than a bulky terrain shoe. 

Built with a minimal construction, the thick rounded toe provides protection while a thin and breathable perforated leather upper allows for durability and a sock like fit. Pull tabs, enable a quick slip-on.