Boot Up
1
L10 COVER SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2009 ° WWW.LIVEMINT.COM LOUNGE COVER L11 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2009 ° WWW.LIVEMINT.COM LOUNGE TREND TRACKER Boot up W hen shoes claim to be rocket science, who better to ask about them than Bill McInnis, who’s done both. A former Nasa engineer who worked on the space shuttle programme, McInnis is now managing director of advanced research at Reebok. He and his team developed EasyTone, the new Reebok shoe that claims to tone your leg and butt muscles—all you have to do is to wear and use them normally. The shoe has embedded miniature “balance balls” under the sole which create what McInnis calls “micro-instabilities”, forcing your leg mus- cles to adapt, resulting in them having to work 28% more than usual. Edited excerpts from an interview: How was EasyTone conceptualized? The initial concept was built on the founda- tion of a technology Reebok had in the early 1990s called “dynamic cushioning” which was an air-transfer cushioning system. The idea of balance training also played a role at this early stage. The fastest grow- ing trend in gyms is stability training using balance balls, which deliberately intro- duce instability, so we decided to use this technique in the shoe. You can see the DNA of a balance ball in the outsole design of the EasyTone. What is the foundation of the science of shoes? The science of shoes is really the intersec- tion of biomechanics (how the body func- tions) and mechanical engineering (how a device functions). We start with a concept statement of what we’d like the shoe to deliver from a functional standpoint and what it should do for the athlete. The chal- lenging part (and the science and research) is in turning that concept idea into a physi- cal shoe that delivers on that statement. What sort of tests and stress runs do you put prototype shoes through? What parameters do you test them on? We test all of our concepts extensively. Easy- Tone had over 16,000 hours of consumer wear-testing. Our wear-tests consist of con- sumers living with the shoe for over 300 hours of wearing. We ask a full battery of questions at the beginning, middle and end of the test periods to determine what people like and/or dislike about the product over time. We make appropriate changes based on that feedback and retest until we have a product that delivers on its promise. Some of our lab testing includes multi-directional force plate testing (force plates measure reac- tions generated by the shoe on a flat surface, and are usually used to analyse posture and gait), mechanical impact testing (to measure specific cushioning attributes over time) and EMG (electromyography) testing that meas- ures the muscle activity of individual mus- cles. EMG testing is where our “28-11-11% more muscle activity” data (28% more activ- ity when compared with normal shoes) comes from. We compared muscle activity walking in EasyTone versus muscle activity wearing conventional foam-based shoes. How different is the science behind, for example, a football shoe and a run- ning shoe? We start with a different “last” for each sport or activity. The last is the foot-shaped form that the shoe is built around and we vary internal volumes and heights based on the fit and activity needed for each individual sport. The midsole/outsole designs of footwear products vary considerably from sport to sport as well. A football shoe and a running shoe are very different in both the above cases. The fit and shape of a football boot is much tighter, with less padding and stiffer materials (versus a running shoe) as the pre- mium is on keeping the foot centred on the plate and providing proper ball-feel. The cleated bottom is obviously different but there is almost no cushioning in a football boot due to both the surface (grass or turf) and the need for energy return. A running shoe has a primary focus on the underfoot platform with designs tailored for individual styles like motion control or stability shoes. What role does the material play? Materials may be altered considerably from sport to sport, as I mentioned earlier; how- ever, EasyTone’s differentiation is more focused on the bottom unit. Inside the two prominent pods on the outsole is a two-pod moving air chamber. The ambient air inside the air chamber travels back and forth underneath the foot at the same rate as the consumer’s stride. This is in addition to the normal foam and rubber platforms found in most athletic footwear. A sk the folks at Adidas what the per- fect football shoe is, and they give you a cryptic Douglas Adams answer. It’s 36. Both striker Lionel Messi and attack- ing midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who use Adidas’ range of football shoes, swear by that number. So what’s the secret to the answer? Another cryptic phrase: TUNIT. “TUNIT is the name of the technology that allows us to make modular shoes,” says Tushar Goculdas, director of mar- keting and sales for Adidas India. That means each separate component of the shoe—the studs, the upper, the chassis and the insole—can be customized according to the ground and weather conditions, making shoes like the f50i, which belong to the TUNIT range, not just one, but 36 different possible shoes. “On dew-filled grounds, for example, you’d go for longer studs, but in sum- mer, those will hurt your foot, so you switch to shorter, flatter studs.” But even 36 is a small number when you consider Adidas’ careful delineation of football shoes. “We have three differ- ent families of shoes, depending on play- ing styles,” says Goculdas. The afore- mentioned TUNIT is favoured by flam- boyant strikers and wingers, and is much lighter than the other two families. The Predator range, developed in close asso- ciation with Zinedine Zidane, and used famously by David Beckham and Step- hen Gerrard, focuses more on swerve and power, and has rubber fins in the front for smoother grip and the ability to swing free kicks. “The Predators feature a unique weight mechanism, we have free flowing lead granules inside a cham- ber in the shoe, which shift the weight depending on the play,” says Goculdas. The third family, called Adipure, is the retro football shoe—simple and all- leather. The more “traditional” players, such as Frank Lampard and Kaka, favour this, says Goculdas. “There’s technology in it, but not too much.” SAFETY IN NUMBERS NIKE LUNARGLIDE DARK GLIDE OF THE MOON one of the above,” he says. The ethereally- named substance is a midsole filled with spe- cial foam that adapts to the arch and gait of the foot, adjusting the balance of comfort and stability to changing external conditions such as weather and terrain. “Your stride differs based on various fac- tors—fatigue, slope, the surface you’re running on,” Gangopadhyay says. “The shoe automatically adapts to these changes.” Aiding this is Flywire, a technology inspired by the unlikeliest of sources. “It’s a method of making shoes lighter modelled on how suspension bridges, like the new Howrah Bridge, are constructed.” Suspension bridges reduce dependence on large concrete pillars by engineering wireframe structures around pressure points. That same principle, applied to a shoe, results in a reduction in material use of nearly 30-40% from the upper sole. REEBOK EASYTONE Q&A | BILL McINNIS, REEBOK INTERNATIONAL PUMA EN ROUTE DUCATI NO NICHE LEFT BEHIND W hile most shoe companies would be content with shoe solutions for sports that involve running around a field, Puma doesn’t seem to believe in leaving out the others. Take the En Route Ducati, a red and black leather shoe built…wait, for the “dis- cerning motorcyclist”. “It’s specifically designed for our motor- bike customers,” says Rajiv Mehta, the managing director of Puma India. “With its smart ergonomics, this will sharpen the interface between man and machine.” What that means is a specially designed outsole with an integrated shifter and peg supports, an arched design suited for long rides, shoelaces hidden within the rim to prevent unfortunate tangles and, of course, an endorsement from bike-mak- ers Ducati. Puma supplies gear for Ferrari and the Ducati racing teams, and what began as a special project to provide footwear for spe- cific everyday challenges faced by racers has now expanded into an entire division of products aimed at motorsports fans. “It will go very well with your leathers and denims,” says Mehta. YUKI BHAMBRI TENNIS PLAYER “I wear the Adidas Barricade tennis shoe and I’ve been wearing it for the last couple of years. Once your feet break into it, it is the most comfortable shoe to wear. It is also more durable than the other shoes available. I’ve also felt that the cushioning has helped my feet as I have to do a lot of change in direction on hard surfaces while playing tennis. Plus, they look good on the court and new models are always coming out every few months.” (Yuki Bhambri has an endorsement deal with Adidas) APARNA POPAT BADMINTON PLAYER “Shoes are very important to me. A good pair can literally keep you in good health for a long time. My two favourite running shoes are Nike Air and Asics. While I’m running, I don’t like to feel the impact and these shoes provide great cushioning and prevent injuries to the ankle, knee and back. Asics, specially, has a very good fit.” ANURAG BEHAR CORPORATE VP OF COMMUNITY INITIATIVES, WIPRO “I use Nike’s basic range of running shoes now. I’ve realized that all these shoe companies, they’ve built in too many fancy features into their new shoes. From a running standpoint, you don’t really require all of them. I just try them all out and figure what I’m most comfortable with. My sense is that the marginal return on any shoe over Rs3,000-4,000 is not much. I don’t find much of a difference between, say, a Rs3,500-4,000 shoe and a Rs7,000 shoe in India retail prices.” REETH ABRAHAM FORMER NATIONAL LONG JUMP AND HEPTATHLON CHAMPION “I have been using the Nike Vomero for the past year and a half and think I’ll stick with it. It is well cushioned and so takes the pressure off my knee. It took me just a couple of days to break into the shoes, so that was perfect. Also, my feet are slightly broad and not all women’s shoes fit me very well and the Vomero makes a comfortable match. I also like my shoes to be of a lighter colour like grey and the pair I own fits the bill.” SHOE GAZING Rs3,299-5,999 Rs5,499 Rs10,999 Rs6,995 for men, Rs6,500 for women N ike’s Lunarglide, the company says, is the next “big revolution” in run- ning footwear. “Running shoes are the largest commercial opportunity in footwear in India,” says Sanjay Gangopadhyay, mar- keting director of Nike India Pvt. Ltd. “Not everyone who runs here is running a mara- thon, but even with training and in gyms, they feel the need to use running shoes.” The Lunarglide uses a combination of spe- cial materials and unique construction to make it lighter than most running shoes. Runners, says Gango- padhyay, have tradi- tionally had to choose between stability, a fit that lasts for extended periods of time, or cushioning which makes the shoe lightweight and comfortable. “With Lunarlite (the new technology), you don’t have to choose just ADIDAS F50i B Y K RISH R AGHAV [email protected] ····························································· B uying a shoe isn’t what it used to be. The footwear you now sport is no longer just an accessory, but a device—a container full of secret patents and arcane technology, the sci- ence powering them the result of long, dedicated, arduous research. So when Nike’s new Lunarglide is accompanied by a marketing campaign that says it is, indeed, rocket science, it’s not just clever wordplay. From football shoes that can be broken down and remade to special shoes made for discerning motorcyclists, we look at four new shoes that make your cellphone seem about as complicated as a hammer. Varuni Khosla and Pavitra Jayaraman contributed to this story. Four new shoes, eight new technologies. The science of footwear just got very complicated We asked the real experts— sportspersons and active businessmen—for their favourites LEO SCRIVNER VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES, CISCO GLOBALIZATION CENTRE “My favourite training shoes are New Balance. I find them relatively lightweight, yet very durable and comfortable. I can run for several hundred miles before they feel worn, whereas several other name brand shoes seem to simply wear out very quickly and do not provide the level of comfort a New Balance shoe does for me. I prefer the 900 or 1000 series shoes.”
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The science of shoes.
Transcript of Boot Up
L10 COVERSATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2009 ° WWW.LIVEMINT.COM
LOUNGE COVER L11SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2009 ° WWW.LIVEMINT.COM
LOUNGE
TREND TRACKER
Boot upWhen shoes claim to be rocket science,
who better to ask about them than BillMcInnis, who’s done both. A former Nasaengineer who worked on the space shuttleprogramme, McInnis is now managingdirector of advanced research at Reebok. Heand his team developed EasyTone, the newReebok shoe that claims to tone your legand butt muscles—all you have to do is towear and use them normally. The shoe hasembedded miniature “balance balls” underthe sole which create what McInnis calls“micro-instabilities”, forcing your leg mus-cles to adapt, resulting in them having towork 28% more than usual. Edited excerptsfrom an interview:
How was EasyTone conceptualized?The initial concept was built on the founda-tion of a technology Reebok had in the early1990s called “dynamic cushioning” whichwas an air-transfer cushioning system.
The idea of balance training also playeda role at this early stage. The fastest grow-ing trend in gyms is stability training usingbalance balls, which deliberately intro-duce instability, so we decided to use thistechnique in the shoe. You can see theDNA of a balance ball in the outsoledesign of the EasyTone.What is the foundation of the scienceof shoes?The science of shoes is really the intersec-tion of biomechanics (how the body func-tions) and mechanical engineering (how adevice functions). We start with a conceptstatement of what we’d like the shoe todeliver from a functional standpoint andwhat it should do for the athlete. The chal-lenging part (and the science and research)is in turning that concept idea into a physi-cal shoe that delivers on that statement.What sort of tests and stress runs do youput prototype shoes through? Whatparameters do you test them on?We test all of our concepts extensively. Easy-Tone had over 16,000 hours of consumerwear-testing. Our wear-tests consist of con-sumers living with the shoe for over 300 hoursof wearing. We ask a full battery of questionsat the beginning, middle and end of the testperiods to determine what people like and/ordislike about the product over time.
We make appropriate changes based onthat feedback and retest until we have aproduct that delivers on its promise. Some ofour lab testing includes multi-directionalforce plate testing (force plates measure reac-tions generated by the shoe on a flat surface,and are usually used to analyse posture andgait), mechanical impact testing (to measurespecific cushioning attributes over time) andEMG (electromyography) testing that meas-ures the muscle activity of individual mus-cles. EMG testing is where our “28-11-11%more muscle activity” data (28% more activ-ity when compared with normal shoes)comes from. We compared muscle activitywalking in EasyTone versus muscle activitywearing conventional foam-based shoes.How different is the science behind,for example, a football shoe and a run-ning shoe?We start with a different “last” for each sportor activity. The last is the foot-shaped formthat the shoe is built around and we varyinternal volumes and heights based on the fitand activity needed for each individual sport.
The midsole/outsole designs of footwearproducts vary considerably from sport tosport as well. A football shoe and a runningshoe are very different in both the abovecases. The fit and shape of a football boot ismuch tighter, with less padding and stiffermaterials (versus a running shoe) as the pre-mium is on keeping the foot centred on theplate and providing proper ball-feel. Thecleated bottom is obviously different butthere is almost no cushioning in a footballboot due to both the surface (grass or turf)and the need for energy return. A runningshoe has a primary focus on the underfootplatform with designs tailored for individualstyles like motion control or stability shoes.What role does the material play?Materials may be altered considerably fromsport to sport, as I mentioned earlier; how-ever, EasyTone’s differentiation is morefocused on the bottom unit. Inside the twoprominent pods on the outsole is a two-podmoving air chamber. The ambient air insidethe air chamber travels back and forthunderneath the foot at the same rate as theconsumer’s stride. This is in addition to thenormal foam and rubber platforms found inmost athletic footwear.
Ask the folks at Adidas what the per-fect football shoe is, and they give
you a cryptic Douglas Adams answer.It’s 36.
Both striker Lionel Messi and attack-ing midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger,who use Adidas’ range of football shoes,swear by that number. So what’s thesecret to the answer? Another crypticphrase: TUNIT.
“TUNIT is the name of the technologythat allows us to make modular shoes,”says Tushar Goculdas, director of mar-keting and sales for Adidas India. Thatmeans each separate component of theshoe—the studs, the upper, the chassisand the insole—can be customizedaccording to the ground and weatherconditions, making shoes like the f50i,which belong to the TUNIT range, notjust one, but 36 different possible shoes.
“On dew-filled grounds, for example,you’d go for longer studs, but in sum-mer, those will hurt your foot, so youswitch to shorter, flatter studs.”
But even 36 is a small number whenyou consider Adidas’ careful delineationof football shoes. “We have three differ-ent families of shoes, depending on play-ing styles,” says Goculdas. The afore-mentioned TUNIT is favoured by flam-boyant strikers and wingers, and is muchlighter than the other two families. ThePredator range, developed in close asso-ciation with Zinedine Zidane, and usedfamously by David Beckham and Step-hen Gerrard, focuses more on swerveand power, and has rubber fins in thefront for smoother grip and the ability toswing free kicks. “The Predators featurea unique weight mechanism, we havefree flowing lead granules inside a cham-ber in the shoe, which shift the weightdepending on the play,” says Goculdas.
The third family, called Adipure, is theretro football shoe—simple and all-leather. The more “traditional” players,such as Frank Lampard and Kaka, favourthis, says Goculdas. “There’s technologyin it, but not too much.”
SAFETY IN NUMBERSNIKE LUNARGLIDEDARK GLIDE OF THE MOON
one of the above,” he says. The ethereally-named substance is a midsole filled with spe-cial foam that adapts to the arch and gait ofthe foot, adjusting the balance of comfort andstability to changing external conditions such
as weather and terrain.“Your stride differs basedo n v a r i o u s f a c -tors—fatigue, slope, thesurface you’re runningon,” Gangopadhyay says.“The shoe automaticallyadapts to these changes.”
Aiding this is Flywire, atechnology inspired bythe unlikeliest of sources.“It’s a method of makingshoes lighter modelled onhow suspension bridges,l ike the new HowrahBridge, are constructed.”S u s p e n s i o n b r i d g e s
reduce dependence on large concrete pillarsby engineering wireframe structures aroundpressure points. That same principle, appliedto a shoe, results in a reduction in materialuse of nearly 30-40% from the upper sole.
The shoes that help tone key butt and leg muscles with every step. Take the gym with you at www.shop4reebok.com
Introducing
S:11.75”
S:17.25”
T:12”
T:17.5”
B:12.25”
B:17.75”
REEBOK EASYTONEQ&A | BILL McINNIS, REEBOK INTERNATIONAL
PUMAEN ROUTEDUCATINO NICHELEFT BEHIND
While most shoe companies would becontent with shoe solutions for sports
that involve running around a field, Pumadoesn’t seem to believe in leaving out theothers. Take the En Route Ducati, a red andblack leather shoe built…wait, for the “dis-cerning motorcyclist”.
“It’s specifically designed for our motor-bike customers,” says Rajiv Mehta, themanaging director of Puma India. “With itssmart ergonomics, this will sharpen theinterface between man and machine.”
What that means is a specially designedoutsole with an integrated shifter and pegsupports, an arched design suited for longrides, shoelaces hidden within the rim top r e v e n t u n f o r t u n a t e t a n g l e s a n d , o fcourse, an endorsement from bike-mak-ers Ducati.
Puma supplies gear for Ferrari and theDucati racing teams, and what began as aspecial project to provide footwear for spe-cific everyday challenges faced by racershas now expanded into an entire divisionof products aimed at motorsports fans.
“It will go very well with your leathersand denims,” says Mehta.
YUKI BHAMBRITENNIS PLAYER
“I wear the AdidasBarricade tennis shoeand I’ve been wearing itfor the last couple ofyears. Once your feetbreak into it, it is the most comfortable shoeto wear. It is also more durable than the othershoes available. I’ve also felt that thecushioning has helped my feet as I have to doa lot of change in direction on hard surfaceswhile playing tennis. Plus, they look good onthe court and new models are always comingout every few months.”
(Yuki Bhambri has an endorsement deal with Adidas)
APARNAPOPATBADMINTON PLAYER
“Shoes are veryimportant to me. Agood pair can literallykeep you in good health
for a long time. My two favourite runningshoes are Nike Air and Asics. While I’mrunning, I don’t like to feel the impact andthese shoes provide great cushioning andprevent injuries to the ankle, knee and back.Asics, specially, has a very good fit.”
ANURAGBEHARCORPORATE VP OFCOMMUNITYINITIATIVES, WIPRO
“I use Nike’s basic rangeof running shoes now.I’ve realized that allthese shoe companies, they’ve built in toomany fancy features into their new shoes.From a running standpoint, you don’t reallyrequire all of them. I just try them all out andfigure what I’m most comfortable with. Mysense is that the marginal return on any shoeover Rs3,0004,000 is not much. I don’t findmuch of a difference between, say, aRs3,5004,000 shoe and a Rs7,000 shoe inIndia retail prices.”
REETHABRAHAMFORMER NATIONALLONG JUMP ANDHEPTATHLONCHAMPION
“I have been using theNike Vomero for the
past year and a half and think I’ll stick with it.It is well cushioned and so takes the pressureoff my knee. It took me just a couple of daysto break into the shoes, so that was perfect.Also, my feet are slightly broad and not allwomen’s shoes fit me very well and theVomero makes a comfortable match. I also likemy shoes to be of a lighter colour like greyand the pair I own fits the bill.”
SHOE GAZING
Rs3,2995,999
Rs5,499
Rs10,999
Rs6,995 for men,Rs6,500 for women
Nike’s Lunarglide, the company says,is the next “big revolution” in run-
ning footwear.“Running shoes are the largest commercial
opportunity in footwear in India,” says SanjayGangopadhyay, mar-keting director of NikeIndia Pvt. Ltd. “Note v e r y o n e w h o r u n shere is running a mara-thon, but even withtraining and in gyms,they feel the need touse running shoes.”
The Lunarglide usesa combination of spe-c i a l m a t e r i a l s a n dunique construction tomake it lighter thanmost running shoes.Runners, says Gango-padhyay, have tradi-tionally had to choose between stability, a fitthat lasts for extended periods of time, orcushioning which makes the shoe lightweightand comfortable. “With Lunarlite (the newtechnology), you don’t have to choose just
ADIDAS F50i
B Y K R I S H R A G H A V
[email protected]·····························································
Buying a shoe isn’t what it used to be.The footwear you now sport is no longer
just an accessory, but a device—a containerfull of secret patents and arcane technology, the sci-ence powering them the result of long, dedicated,arduous research.
So when Nike’s new Lunarglide is accompanied bya marketing campaign that says it is, indeed, rocketscience, it’s not just clever wordplay. From footballshoes that can be broken down and remade to specialshoes made for discerning motorcyclists, we look atfour new shoes that make your cellphone seem aboutas complicated as a hammer.
Varuni Khosla and Pavitra Jayaraman contributed to this story.
Four new shoes, eight new technologies.The science of footwear just got very complicated
We asked the real experts—sportspersons and activebusinessmen—for their favourites
LEO SCRIVNERVP OF HUMANRESOURCES, CISCOGLOBALIZATIONCENTRE
“My favourite trainingshoes are New Balance.I find them relativelylightweight, yet very durable and comfortable.I can run for several hundred miles beforethey feel worn, whereas several other namebrand shoes seem to simply wear out veryquickly and do not provide the level ofcomfort a New Balance shoe does for me. Iprefer the 900 or 1000 series shoes.”
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