The Spanish firm provides a personalised course of that makes use of digital scans of ft to create a 3D-printed shoe tailor-made to particular person wants.
Athos desires to see photographs of your ft. However, don’t fear — it’s for science.
This Barcelona-based startup not solely created the primary 3D-printed climbing sneakers — it’ll additionally make them particular to every buyer. Simply scan your stunning bare ft with a smartphone and select a design. The corporate plans to ship a pair of tailor-made climbing sneakers prepared for the crag.
“When you have ever climbed, you’ll know that climbing sneakers are actually uncomfortable,” Athos says in a promo video. “They should go actually tight to the ft with the intention to have a superb efficiency. Virtually all climbers use two, three, and even 4 sizes smaller for his or her climbing sneakers — which hurts so much.”
For that purpose, trendy climbing sneakers can really feel barely masochistic. Within the U.S., mountain climbing emerged from a DIY Nineteen Sixties counterculture. Royal Robbins and firm simply wore tennis sneakers. However as the game progressed towards more difficult routes, climbing sneakers took on the philosophy of ballet: the tighter, the higher — irrespective of the ache.
With climbing sneakers that purpose for each efficiency and luxury, Athos desires to replace the narrative.
Athos Climbing Sneakers: A Group Effort
Growing 3D-printed climbing sneakers took greater than only one startup.
It started as a scholar undertaking at Barcelona’s ELISAVA College of Design and Engineering. These college students ultimately joined with on-line 3D-printing service Sculpteo and company large HP, which created the Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) tech that makes the method potential.
Whereas discovering the correct know-how took time, Athos stated the ultimate manufacturing course of isn’t difficult.
“For the manufacturing of 1 Athos climbing shoe, you simply have to print the physique and assemble the rubber and the pull straps,” the corporate stated. “It’s a actually easy manufacturing course of that may be reproduced and distributed all around the world.”
So far, Athos has gotten consideration for its design. The startup was named a runner-up for the James Dyson Award, a global design competitors.
Costs for the sneakers weren’t out there at press time. Athos provides an order kind on its web site, nevertheless it’s unclear when the sneakers will turn into out there.