Adidas Reveals FutureCraft 4D Technology, Releases Timeline

NEW YORK — Beneath a liberated Manhattan sky, Adidas clasped to the role of Dr. Frankenstein. Its mission was simple: to further innovate and push the limits of athletic footwear.

In partnership with Carbon—a Silicon Valley technology company—Adidas officially announced the use of Digital Light Synthesis in order to build sneakers. First up, the Futurecraft 4D.

Carbon's Digital Light Synthesis technology engineers the physical midsole of a shoe by using light and oxygen to turn liquid resins into a rugged, flexible base.

Rather than sculpt a sneaker with traditional materials and face time constraints, the Digital Light Synthesis concept is centered on disrupting the notion of construction, taking a sneaker from design to production without the proverbial middle man. In other words, Adidas will be able to ship products out at warp speed.

Image courtesy of Adidas

Adidas has been shuttling funds into the additive manufacturing world dating back to 2014. The goal was to generate new methods and remove limitations—we saw the first wave of this reach shore in 2016, when Adidas displayed their Futurecraft 3D runner.

With the impending Futurecraft 4D release, the use of Digital Light Synthesis technology will reach the feet of consumers in a more grandiose manner. Starting in April, Adidas will hand out 300 pairs to friends and family. The maiden voyage will then hit retailers in a greater capacity—5,000 units—in the fall.

Image courtesy of Adidas

By 2018, Adidas is set to release nearly 100,000 pairs to help scale this technology to a bigger audience.

The Futurecraft 4D is walking a thin line between limited and commercial status. If you go by NPD Group analyst Matt Powell's definition of commercial footwear, the Futurecraft 4D release in 2018 will fall about 100,000 units under the industry benchmark.

Adidas maintains high expectations when it comes to the future of not only this particular runner but also the entire Digital Light Synthesis process. Altering the industry by giving designers a blank slate to soak up creativity starts with a belief in additive manufacturing techniques.

In theory, this will allow Adidas to tailor sneakers in order to enhance an athlete's movement while not sacrificing support or comfort.

Image courtesy of Adidas

With enough resources and funding, Digital Light Synthesis will be folded into Adidas' DNA. The company seems focused on making sure of that.

Although it is in its infancy, all signs point to this particular technology becoming mainstream and scalable. With the athletic footwear industry rapidly changing, Adidas has successfully produced a new level of excitement for an industry that generated $17.5 billion in sales in the U.S. during 2016 alone, per the NPD Group.