Adidas
Latest
Taking a walk in Adidas' 3D-printed running shoes
It's hard to believe it was only last year when Adidas revealed its first 3D-printed shoe concept. But the German sportswear giant is moving fast with its Futurecraft project, a collection of innovative footwear that also includes biodegradable sneakers. The latest in this line is the Adidas 3D Runner, which features a midsole and heel tab created from 3D-printing materials. Primeknit, the same fabric used on Three-Stripe models such as the Yeezy and Ultra Boost, makes up most of the rest of the silhouette.
Adidas' latest 3D-printed running shoe will cost you $333
3D printing has proven to be useful across many different areas, including the creation of lifestyle products for consumers. Adidas, for one, began toying with the idea of 3D-printed footwear in recent years, which led to the introduction of its Futurecraft 3D concept in 2015. But the German sportswear company doesn't want to stop there. Today, it announced that it will be selling a 3D-printed running shoe for the first time, albeit in limited-edition form. Not to crush your enthusiasm early on, but these are going to be hard to get.
Inside Adidas' new tech-infused store in New York City
Not to be outdone by Nike, Adidas has opened a new flagship store in New York City. And, just like its rival, the German company packed the space with loads of technology. Inside the four-story, 45,000-square-foot space, on the corner of 5th Avenue and 46th Street, you'll find a virtual-reality experience and a wearable system designed to help you find the best running shoe. Let's take a look at what other tech Adidas is featuring at its biggest retail store yet.
The world's fastest electric car, and more in the week that was
Tesla finally sealed the deal on its acquisition of SolarCity this week, and the merger is already producing incredible results. The two companies just completed a project to power an entire island on solar power. In other energy news, researchers in Israel developed found a way to make solar panels 70 percent more efficient. Two Chinese companies are building a massive solar plant in the exclusion zone near the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. And Sweden announced plans to cut its tax on solar energy by 98 percent.
Adidas' latest innovation is a pair of biodegradable sneakers
When the UltraBoost Uncaged Parleys debuted earlier this month, Adidas showed off the depth of its commitment to cutting out petroleum and fossil fuels from its manufacturing process. While the Parleys literally turned ocean garbage into stylish footwear, Adidas' next forward-thinking shoe skips the plastic altogether in favor of a biodegradable, super-strong form of synthetic spider silk called Biosteel.
A new supersonic jet, and more in the week that was
Tesla currently makes the world's best electric vehicles, but Jaguar's first EV could give the automaker a run for its money. Meet the I-Pace: a svelte, stylish electric SUV that's faster than most sports cars and can drive 220 miles on a single charge. In other auto news, a new law requires all electric vehicles to make noise by the year 2019, and VW's new e-Golf can drive further than the Nissan Leaf at 124 miles per charge. Long-haul flights are the worst, but a new supersonic jet called the Boom could cut them in half. And Noordung launched a stylish vintage-inspired e-bike with a built-in sound system.
Adidas made an ocean-plastic shoe you can actually buy
Late last year, Adidas teamed up with Parley, an organization raising awareness against ocean pollution, to design a partially 3D-printed shoe made from up-cycled marine plastic. Then, in 2016, the two companies took that partnership one step further with the limited-edition Adidas x Parley, a running sneaker that also featured materials created from ocean waste. Ultimately, both of these concepts pave the way for what the sportswear giant is announcing today: the UltraBoost Uncaged Parley.
ICYMI: Animals can communicate better than we'd realized
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We are adding horses to the list of animals who can communicate via some form of symbolic language, now that researchers taught a group of horses how to understand three symbols related to whether they wanted a blanket covering on or not. With that, horses, primates, dolphins and birds can all communicate with us -- and suddenly old masterpieces like Mister Ed and The Birds have a whole new significance.
Adidas shows off the first shoe made at its robot factory
Last last year, Adidas began rolling out its plans for Speedfactory, a set of robot-staffed manufacturing facilities located in Germany and, soon, the US. Today, the sportswear giant revealed the first silhouette developed through this new project, known as Futurecraft M.F.G. It's a sleek running shoe that features Adidas' trademark Primeknit upper and Boost midsole, similar to what you see on popular models like Kanye West's Yeezy 350s.
Adidas rewards its medal-winning Olympians with 3D-printed shoes
It's too early to tell whether 3D-printed footwear will ever be more than a gimmick. Still, you have to give credit to sportswear brands for trying something new, even if in some cases 3D printing is only used to make outsole prototypes. Last year, Adidas began showing the potential of the technology with concepts like Futurecraft 3D, a running shoe made partially out of 3D-printed materials. And now the company's taking that one step further: it created a ready-to-wear pair for its sponsored athletes at the 2016 Rio Olympics. As its name suggests, though, the "3D-printed Winners Shoe" will be limited to those who win a medal in Brazil.
Adidas will bring its robot-staffed factory to Atlanta in 2017
Late last year, Adidas announced plans to bring shoe production back to Germany starting in 2016. With that in mind, the company created a new manufacturing facility staffed by robots, known as Speedfactory. Along with setting one up in its native country, Adidas also revealed there would be a separate Speedfactory in the US, slated to open in 2017. Today, the sportswear giant shared more details about this project, announcing that its Stateside production facility will call Atlanta home. The 74,000-square-foot space is set to be fully functional by the end of next year, and Adidas says it aims to make 50,000 pairs of running shoes there.
Adidas Creator Studio lets you design kits for soccer teams
Ever wish you could have a hand in creating team kits for your favorite soccer (read: football) team? Adidas wants to make that possible with its upcoming Creator Studio project.
Adidas gets creative with shoes made from recycled ocean plastic
There's a strong momentum behind the Adidas brand right now. That's largely due to the increasing popularity of the company's running and lifestyle products, with Kanye West's Yeezy line being chief among them. Still, amid its flourishing business, Adidas is spending resources on experimental designs that probably won't have mass-market appeal. Case in point: the sneaker collaboration with Parley, which was done in honor of World Oceans Day last month.
How Adidas is using motion capture to reinvent running shoes
When Kanye West isn't wearing his Yeezys (or Vans, as he describes in a song on The Life of Pablo), he's often spotted in Adidas Ultra Boosts. Since being introduced last year, the Ultra Boost has quickly transcended its intended purpose as a running shoe, becoming an essential silhouette for sneakerheads everywhere. But despite Ultra Boost finding success in the streetwear community, Adidas continues to create products around a mantra from founder Adi Dassler: "It all starts with the athlete." That idea, combined with the use of evolving technologies such as motion capture, is what drove the design behind AlphaBounce, the company's latest running shoe.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: An impressive mobile home, and more!
Is the age of the flying car upon us? This week a new report revealed that Google co-founder Larry Page has secretly invested over $100 million in two aerial vehicle startups. Meanwhile, four major political parties in Norway have proposed a ban on all gas-powered cars by the year 2025. A team of Swedish students unveiled one of the world's most energy-efficient rail-bound vehicles. A young filmmaker transformed a boring Chevy van into an incredible solar-powered mobile home. And the Coboat is a sun and wind-powered catamaran for co-working freelance nomads.
Adidas uses robots to bring shoe production back to Germany
Years ago, clothing manufacturers started moving production to developing nations where the labor costs were cheap and employees were plentiful. Proponents of globalization said that jobs going to poorer regions was a great thing, but sportswear firms paying workers pennies to make $100 shirts certainly isn't. But now, the robot revolution is likely to cause a retreat from the days of fashion houses opening sweatshops in far-flung lands. And Adidas, which has often come under fire for its use of unethical labor practices, is leading the charge.
Adidas will release shoes made from ocean plastic this year
Adidas is committing to integrating recycled ocean waste into a general-release shoe this year. The sportswear company showed off a shoe with a 3D-printed midsole made from up-cycled ocean plastic late last year, as part of a collaboration with Parley, an anti-ocean-pollution organization. That was a one-off concept shoe, but off the back of that the company is now showing off a product titled Adidas x Parley. The new limited-edition shoe's upper is made from Parley Ocean Plastic and illegal deep-sea gillnets retrieved by the non-profit Sea Shepherd during a mission to protect sea life in the Southern Ocean. Announced to coincide with World Oceans Day, only fifty pairs will be made available, and they'll be given away through an Instagram contest.
ICYMI: Baggage bot, sea plastics become fashion and more
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A baggage handling robot is being tested at the Geneva Airport to both carry your luggage and print out tags. Adidas made athletic shoes that are almost entirely recycled; with gill nets making up the stitching on the outside. It joins clothing designer and entertainer Pharrell Williams in upcycling sea garbage (much of which kills sea creatures) to make their garments. If you're interested in the Zero Electricity Air Cooler, the video is here. You can learn more about PARLEY, the group that helps collect plastic and other waste from the oceans, here. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Adidas brings its Yeezy reservation app to some European cities
It's Yeezy Season yet again. Today, following weeks of speculation, Adidas made the release date for Kanye West's new sneaker official: June 11th. In preparation for that, the company has updated its Confirmed app with a new look and, most importantly, expanded availability. The application, which lets iOS and Android users reserve Yeezys for in-store pick up, will work in Europe for the first time, starting with Berlin, Milan and London.
Argentinean football club to offer dermal implants to its fans
Buenos Aires-based football team, Club Atletico Tigre, has taken an unusual step in managing access to its stadium. The club is considering offering its fans an implantable microchip that would grant them faster access through the gate turnstiles.
