NEW YORK (AP) — New Balance is taking customization much further than choosing colors or other aesthetic details: The athletic brand is introducing a track-specific running shoe that uses 3-D printing to create a plate on the sole of the shoe that is supposed to enhance performance with every step.
Athletes are measured on a sensitive track to gauge the direction their foot travels whether its forward or back, left or right, and how it moves; 100 sensors are placed on an insert inside the shoe to measure pressure at different points; and a motion capture system — like the ones used for video games and movies — adds stride and broader movement into the equation. Based on the biomechanical data, custom spike plates, the part of the shoe that actually connects with the ground, are created.
The new process was first reported by Wired magazine on Wednesday.
Right now, this process is only for New Balance elite, sponsored athletes, but, said Katherine Petrecca, the company’s business manager of studio innovation, that will change with time: “The technology is early and our implementation is still really in a very early phase, but you can envision as the technology improves and capacity increases — and cost comes down — the audience who will benefit from customization will just grow and grow and grow. This will get down eventually to the casual athlete.