‘Amoeba Trainer’ By Shamees Aden
Back in 2013, researcher and designer, Shamees Aden combined rapid prototyping with the study of protocells – an emergence in the world of science that could potentially revolutionize material development – to try and create surface-adapting footwear.
“The study of protocells is a new and emerging science that has the potential to drastically revolutionise the way we make materials. Essentially protocells blur the gap between the non-living and the living. Engineering the emergence of life from lifeless liquid chemicals manufactured artificially in the laboratory could provide the building blocks to create a new-made nature.” – ShameesAden.com
Shamees’ concept would offer offer an adaptive and bespoke pair of shoes by engineering “life from artificially manufactured liquid chemicals through printed biotechnology” - DesignBoom.com. Forming a second skin around the wearer’s foot, the shoes would transform and respond to the athlete depending on their activity, and the amount of support needed based on their level of intensity.
In my mind, “living” materials that react to our own biological needs in real-time is absolutely the future of performance product. During the course of activity our demands and needs can rapidly change from one millisecond to another, and having something that can react, and event anticipate what our bodies will need in that moment could game changing.
You can see some of Shamees’ experiments below, for more on her other projects, head here.
