On hand at the announcement, Digital Trends had the opportunity to try Adidas’ Futurecraft 4D during the unveiling. Once this occurs, the team then bakes it in an oven to produce the finished, fully functional prototype.Īdidas ultimately desires a future where the average consumer simply emails Adidas their personal data to build them the perfect shoe As UV images of the design project onto the resin, the material begins to take shape and solidify.

To create the shoe, Carbon and Adidas projected light through a window in a pool of resin capable of instantly hardening via ultraviolet (UV) light. Unlike additive 3D printing, Carbon’s proprietary CLIP technology leans on oxygen permeable optics, digital light projection, and programmable liquid resins to manufacture an object.

Though other sportswear companies utilize 3D printing to create running shoes - including Adidas itself - the Futurecraft 4D collaboration marks the first time anyone’s turned to DLS to make footwear. Created using an innovative manufacturing process known as Digital Light Synthesis (DLS), the German sportswear company teamed with Silicon Valley startup Carbon to produce what each hope to be a breakthrough in footwear. At a recent event in New York City, Adidas unveiled the Futurecraft 4D, a shoe it essentially chiseled by light.

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