Exploring mechanical meta-material structures through personalised shoe sole design

Davide Jose Nogueira Amorim, Troy Nachtigall, Miguel Bruns Alonso

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionAcademicpeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)
2 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Mechanical meta-material structures (MMS) are designed structures with mechanical properties not found in ordinary materials. MMS can now be created far more easily using digital manufacturing. We explore how different MMS can be combined, through the design of a shoe sole. Thereby showing the potential of using MMS to create personalized and sustainable footwear. We analysed the phenomenon of foot deformation and mapped different structures with different behaviours to meet the needs of different feet. Consequently, a shoe sole was generated by an algorithm and 3D printed in one single material with multiple properties (e.g. stiff and soft) and responsive behaviour, making it easy to recycle. We report the design phases which required using six types of software. Our findings reflect the complexity of this process given the limited availability of software tools that support it. We conclude with a list of requirements regarding tools to further explore MMS.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings
Subtitle of host publicationSCF 2019 - ACM Symposium on Computational Fabrication
EditorsStephen N. Spencer
Place of PublicationNew York
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-4503-6795-0
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Jun 2019
Event2019 ACM Symposium on Computational Fabrication, SCF 2019 - Pittsburgh, United States
Duration: 16 Jun 201918 Jun 2019

Conference

Conference2019 ACM Symposium on Computational Fabrication, SCF 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPittsburgh
Period16/06/1918/06/19

Keywords

  • Digital manufacturing
  • Footwear
  • Generative design
  • Mechanical meta-material structures
  • Shape change

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