As early as the 1970s, running sports became a mainstream pastime. Since then, the sports shoe industry has initiated a series of changes, which has developed into a flourishing age of sports shoes.
In the past few decades, sole technology has become the target of various brands at the expense of huge funds for research and development. Although these brands have made great progress in all aspects, sole technology is definitely one of the most important factors to promote product development.
Today, it is better to review the history of the development of sole technology of major sports shoe brands.
Nike Air The beginning of the sole technology is more interesting. As early as 1977, an aerospace engineer named Marion Franklin Rudy had the idea of placing a miniature airbag on the sole, but he contacted 23 companies. The shoe company was rejected, and he finally found Phil Knight, the founder of Nike .
In 1978, Phil Knight and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman introduced this technology in Air Tailwind, thus opening Nike’s air cushion technology dynasty, which also brought Nike Many firsts, like the first visible air cushion in Air Max 1 in 1987; the first full palm air cushion in Air Max 97...
When
adidas APS was released, it was known as the first shoe with "infinitely adjustable cushioning" function.Just insert the key and turn it, APS allows runners to adjust the sole to suit their weight and the ground on which they are running. It is incredibly customizable and groundbreaking.
Turning the key clockwise will make the midsole hard, and vice versa. The working principle of APS is to unfold and fold the TPU layer built into the midsole. One side of the TPU is harder than the other, so the softness of the midsole can be adjusted by unfolding or folding.
It is said that the ASICS GEL cushioning system was tested on the International Space Station, and the egg was thrown from a perfect GEL material height of 15 meters to 30 mm. ASICS put all energy into GEL technology, and put the sports shoe sole to help absorb shock and reduce impact damage.
Obviously this technology has withstood the test of time. Since ASICS Freak was developed and installed in 1986, it has gone through dozens of years and is still the brand's preferred cushioning system. Now that GEL technology has got rid of the shackles of being "sealed", GEL-Quantum 360, and other shoes are equipped with exposed GEL.
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sp3pThe brand claims that this cushioning technology is four times stronger than the traditional EVA midsole. This technology is inspired by the honeycomb, which is the strongest and lightest shape in nature.
Due to its unique shape, it can absorb impact better than traditional EVA. Hexalite is covered with a durable thermoplastic polyurethane layer to ensure its shape. This technology is perfectly demonstrated in Iverson’s signature boot, Question Mid, with the iconic honeycomb pattern exposed in the open window design of the sole.
In the 1990s, the Saucony GRID (Ground Reaction Inertia Device) was similar to the principle of cushioning the string by absorbing tennis balls. Shock and spread the shock vibration to a wider area for maximum cushioning.
Saucony promise that GRID technology can make your feet feel sweet every time you touch the ground. This technology was first introduced in Saucony GRID SD, and soon became the brand's master technology, and became the technical pillar of the brand's many Lifestyle products.
Perhaps many people would think of Nike when they saw REACT, but as early as 1992, CONVERSE REACT Juice was installed on the heel of the sneaker.To provide higher support and comfort. The emergence of this innovative technology represents that CONVERSE is trying to break its dependence on classics.
The biggest selling point of this technology is that REACT Juice is actually a liquid, which is used in basketball shoes. NBA star Larry Johnson also shot a commercial called "Grandma" for it. Due to the rapid development of competitors and the leaked reports of REACT Juice on the court, this technology was soon shelved.
ABZORB is a new type of cushioning material developed by New Balance and DuPont . At that time, ABZORB was more cushioning and durable than the standard EVA used by most brands, and it could effectively absorb ground reaction forces.
ABZORB was applied to the legendary shoe 998 in 1993, and has since become the preferred cushioning technology for many New Balance shoes; in 1996, it was applied to 999 shoes; in 1998, it was applied to 990v2 shoes. At this time, the 990v2 ENCAP sole adopts ABZORB for the entire palm, and has an exposed design at the heel, which conforms to the "visual" design craze in the 90s.
Wave is definitely one of Mizuno’s most well-known and successful cushioning technologies.When the brand was born, it needed to reduce the production cost and weight of performance shoes, so the previous technology of the brand was integrated into a compact system.
Mizuno Wave is shaped like a wave and stretches physically when impacted to achieve a cushioning effect and provide high stability for runners. It was first applied to Wave Rider shoes in 1998. The weight of the shoes was only 362 grams. The selling price of 110 US dollars that year was jaw-dropping.
Like Reebok Hexalite cushioning technology, PUMA CELL makes full use of the hexagonal structure, through the blow molding process to transform the TPU into a hexagonal unit pattern and combine them to meet different operations And cushioning demand. This was a relatively new technology at the time, so consumers were skeptical about it.
Therefore, PUMA has invested a lot of money to ensure that its technology is more durable than EVA. In the end, this became PUMA's most important running technology, and it returned as LQD CELL in 2019. Many PUMA sports shoes use CELL technology, just like CELL Endura, CELL Venom and other shoes.
Nike Shox is one of the most controversial technologies of Nike. The design uses a cylinder of special material as a spring to provide users with physical assistance. Although it was originally developed as a running shoe technology, it was eventually known in the field of basketball shoes because of NBA star Vince Carter.
Shox was developed by Air Force 1 designer Bruce Kilgore in the mid-1980s,However, it was put on hold for nearly 20 years due to technical reasons. Even though it had a glorious moment in 2000, it quickly declined due to safety reasons. Until 2017, Nike returned as a re-enactment of Lifestyle shoes.
Nike Free became the leading running shoe technology in the 2000s when it was launched. The technology was developed to replicate the flexibility and mobility of natural movement. Nike Free 5.0 OG shoes equipped with this technology are called running shoes "between barefoot and ordinary running shoes."
Nike Free has been relaunched as a performance series in recent years, and has been adopted by designers such as Matthew M. Williams and Tom Sachs as part of the collaboration with Nike, which has consolidated the legendary status of the technology.
Vibram 's FiveFingers technology existed like "alien shoes" when it was born. It was like a "alien shoes" when Fliri was born. It can make runners have a deeper connection with nature.
FiveFingers sole technology can separate all five toes. The difference is that it directly connects the body of the shoe with the outsole. The thin sole provides protection while releasing the toes. The movement and tactile perception provide the ultimate barefoot experience for runners.
On is a relatively new brand,However, the CloudTec cushioning system swept the field of running shoes. It was inspired by the hose used by founder Olivier Bernhard when watering the garden. Cutting the hose in sections and sticking it to the sole was the initial form of CloudTec technology.
CloudTec is the brand's proprietary cushioning system, which can provide runners with landing cushioning and stable starting, which is both comfortable and relaxing. This system is both brand-friendly and all-weather life The attractiveness of the way played a huge role. Since then, ON has also been perfecting and improving its own running shoe technology, and has extended many new shoe models.
adidas Boost once made the brand fascinated in terms of comfort. It was developed to replace the industry's standard EVA and present it with a unique aesthetic effect. Boost is a TPU material that forms small energy particles after being heated and expanded, each of which can effectively accumulate and release energy.
Ultra Boost, the iconic shoe model equipped with this technology, made its debut in 2015 and has released joint projects many times. Subsequently, Kanye West applied Boost technology extensively in the YEEZY series of shoes, consolidating the representative position of this technology in the mid to late 2010s.
Fresh Foam cushioning system is used in all types of New Balance running shoes,In all mid-to-high-end running shoes, this material is mainly composed of a unique ultra-soft foam material. The design and construction of the midsole including the Fresh Foam system rely on data, showing the brand's futuristic design cells.
Fresh Foam also has many variants, which are designed for different needs. For example, Fresh Foam X, it will provide more energy feedback than the classic Fresh Foam.
One of the strongest running shoes for "feeling on shit". This feeling can be achieved because the PROFLY cushioning system is a dual-density technology midsole, which combines the soft foam on the heel and the firm foam on the forefoot.
This split is designed to balance the shock absorption of the heel (landing) and the energy feedback (at the start) to push the runner forward.
adidas Futurecraft 4D is believed to be one of the most futuristic midsole technologies at present. It was developed by Futurespan 1span 2 adpanida in 2015. The next generation of sports shoe cushioning system won the 2017 Innovative Design Award selected by Fast Company.
adidas and its partner Carbon claim that this is the first sports shoe cushioning material that uses "digital photosynthesis". This means that in the process of R&D and manufacturing of Futurecraft 4D, the design form and detailed structure of the outsole will be determined through digital simulation calculations, which means that the process allows nearly unlimited optimization. Today, adidas is still continuously improving the technology and launching new shoes.
Nike’s new "span 2span" bubble cushioning technology is introduced by Nike. Its research and development has gone through repeated iterative tests. After testing about 150 materials, it was finally decided to use TPE foam to create Joyride cushioning particles.
Joyride cushioning system creates a cushioning particle cabin that fits the foot shape, bringing a cushioning experience that varies from person to person. For different versions of the product, the Nike design team will adjust the partitions of the cushioning particle cabin. The cushioning particles are evenly distributed in the cushioning particle cabin, so that it can better adapt to the runner's gait.
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