


in the context of footwear
INTEGRATIVE DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY
the 'gram

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2019- 2020
in association with | Computational Engineering and Robotics Lab (CERLABs), Autodesk, and the Eindhoven University of Technology |
tools | 3D printing (sla and fdm) FilaFlex Python Fusion360 |
skills | project management, hardware/software interfacing, design research, UX |
This research is a continuation of research I conducted while at the Eindhoven University of technology. Understanding the waste byproduct of the existing consumer shoe market, my research team focused on designing a modular, additive printed shoe system that a consumer could store flat, wear, return and have re-extruded and switched for new parts. If the shoe could be reduced to three parts––sole, innersole, and upper––the team could isolate materials for each part, creating a closed loop modular system.
Please take a look at the preceding project here on MEDIUM
or YOUTUBE
WHAT IS?
I came back from Eindhoven was interested in the customization of shoes in general. I began to be curious about how to generate soles based on pressure sensitivity data. To begin, I created a pressure sensitive measuring device with embroidered circuitry and a conductive foam to output 3D data.
After collecting a dataset from untold numbers of human feet, I met with CMU Computational Engineering and Robotics Lab’s (CERLAB) Kenji Shimada, and inputted the values into his truss generating algorithm. Using a 3D printer, I made several prototypes of soles, each with a variable truss density that correlated with the shape of the user’s foot.
I began–– and intend to continue––to research the application of programmable structure to the uppers of shoes. Learning from existing prototypes in Filaflex, I can program tangible flexibility, depending on the extrusion pattern, density and cell size of a print. Similar to the sole trussinizations, in areas of the upper that needed less or more structure, the textile could be programmed accordingly.
MY ROLE
I lead this self-guided research both in Eindhoven and in CMU from concept to fabrication.