Yoshi Torralva-LookingOutwards-02

Title: Nervous System for New Balance Data-Driven Midsoles
Date of Creation: 2015

Peoples running forms are often none two alike. For this reason, there are hundreds of shoe brands and types designed for specific running styles. New Balance asked nervous System to develop a shoe that had personalized sole designs that were auto-generated from an algorithm by pressure point data. In terms of data collection, points of pressure and impact strikes would be taken into account. The overall design of the shoe generates into an organic design that represents natural structures. Nervous System approaches designs that look like cell structures, plant leaves, or spider webs to evenly distribute the impact of the runner. What I enjoy about this project is how Nervous System develops structures that are both visually pleasing and extremely effective to the specific user. It’s interesting to see how New Balance saw an opportunity to build custom shoes just like other sports have for gear. By partnering with a company like Nervous System, they were able to develop a shoe that’s inclusive of all running forms based on a generative algorithm.