adidas Is Releasing A 4D-Printed Futurecraft Shoe

Updated June 9th, 2017: adidas confirms that 5,000 pairs of the Futurecraft 4D are releasing in December 2017.

Innovation is at the heart of the battle between the sneaker industry giants. We’ve seen 3D-printed soles, self-lacing technology, and even shoes that can order pizza, but at the end of the day what really matters is if the shoes are comfortable and qualify or performance use.

Today, adidas officially debuts the latest from their exciting Futurecraft category – the adidas Futurecraft 4D. The German sportswear brand partnered up with Silicon Valley-based tech company Carbon to create a shoe built with – get this – light and oxygen through a process called Digital Light Synthesis. According to Carbon, Digital Light Synthesis is a breakthrough process that uses digital light projection, oxygen-permeable optics, and programmable liquid resins to generate durable products, and the Futurecraft 4D is adidas’ first application of that technology onto a shoe. By the end of 2018, adidas plans on producing more than 100,000 pairs of of shoes using Digital Light Synthesis technology.

This month, adidas will release 300 pairs of the Futurecraft 4D shoe to friends and family; more than 5,000 pairs are expect to release at retail this Fall/Winter 2017 season. See below for the official photos of the adidas Futurecraft 4D shoe.