Adidas has left no stone unturned by announcing yet another creative multi-year partnership. This time, it is with the International Space Station US National Laboratory. They say when it comes to product creation, the sky’s the limit, and in this case, the creators set their goal to reach somewhere above the sky. The global corporation will utilize technologies created by NASA to test footwear in extreme microgravity conditions present in outer-space.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUon4SthcDc
The aim of this partnership is to examine the boundaries of product innovation, human performance, and sustainability. What’s more, this collaboration will also track developments to improve future designs and engineering for athletes – both off and on Earth. The brand will rise up to a new status by being known as the first-ever to test footwear in such extreme conditions.
During the first stage, the foremost focus will be on innovating the product, and previously produced Adidas Boost technology will be tested without any intrusion of gravity.
Adidas Boost Technology. Courtesy of Adidas
James Carnes, Vice President of Brand Strategy for Adidas, said: “Working with the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory and CASIS – one of the most advanced facilities in the world – will help Adidas set new standards in performance innovation.”
He added, “This partnership not only allows us to co-create improvements to sports performance but to explore processes and design that could be applicable to Adidas’ dedicated efforts in sustainability as well.”
Earlier this year, Adidas launched footballs into space during SpaceX CRS-18 cargo mission in order to explore flight characteristics beyond Earth-based wind tunnel.
“The unique conditions of space provide the ideal environment to discover the unknown. For example, microgravity is the only condition in which we can observe specific experiments like the behavior of a spinning soccer ball without interrupting airflow and external supports holding it in place,” explained Christine Kretz, Vice President of Program and Partnerships of the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory.
He added, “Having control of certain variables allows us to conduct tests and collect insights that aren’t possible on Earth.”
This initiative is set to start one year from now where Adidas will send it’s Boost innovation and footwear up to the International Space Station Lab onboard a SpaceX cargo mission. Astronauts will at that point execute a progression of examinations and experiments, and see if it’s conceivable to create Boost midsoles for regions with varied particle sizes.
In the future, the three-striped brand also plans to research elements like human performance and sustainability while leveraging the ISS ‘s orbit lab, so this is just the first step in the long road of exploration and discovery.
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