Paris Olympics 2024 Reprise Spray on Running Shoes

The newest company to use cutting-edge "spray-on" materials is Swiss sportswear maker on. It has a "revolutionary" robot-made sneaker that it hopes will help athletes perform better at this month's Olympics.

The world of running shoe technology has advanced to the point where World Athletics changed its regulations in 2020 for elite athlete’s competition shoes. These changes included requiring the shoe to have been on sale for at least four months, having a sole thickness of no more than 40 mm, and not having more than one rigid embedded plate or blade made of any material.

These changes may come as a surprise given World Athletics' prior position on the subject. Not only were PUMA's 1960s "brush spikes" outlawed, but any official records established while donning them were also erased.

Features – Carbon Fiber Plate and Midsole Foam

Carbon fiber has long been used in running shoes. Brooks first presented "propulsion technology" in 1989, which included a propulsion plate made of several layers of carbon filament fibers. Nike's use of high-energy-return Pebax, a patented and trademarked variant of polyether block amide PEBA molded to form a foam midsole, may have attracted greater attention.

PEBA is a thermoplastic elastomer, a block copolymer of strong polyamide and soft polyether blocks. Its durability and flexibility vary widely depending on the block ratio used. Because of its flexibility and low weight, PEBA can be used for various purposes in athletic shoe technology, including uppers, outsoles, and midsole components.

Role of Intellectual Property in Super Shoe Development

Several forms of intellectual property IP can be used to protect running shoes, including patents for technology, designs for form and appearance, and trademarks for the company name and symbol. The Vapor fly is a perfect example of IP's power.

There was an intense race among sporting goods companies to create and patent their versions of super shoe technology as professional athletes broke or turned down sponsorship deals to switch to shoes that could enhance performance and as World Athletics changed its regulations against wearing shoes during competition.

Sprayed-To-Measure

Later this month, when visitors rush to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, the technology will appear in a pop-up. A handful of Olympians, like Australian middle-distance runner Olli Hoare, have recently competed in the Cloud Boom Strike LS. However, it is still being determined which athletes outside of Obiri will wear them at the Games. In an email to CNN, the company expressed hope that athletes who have already worn the shoes, like Irish 1,500-meter runner Luke McCann, will "continue to choose them this summer" when they compete in Paris.

The firm that initially experimented with spray-on textiles wasn't on. The upscale French fashion brand Coperni gained fame in October 2022 when it sprayed model Bella Hadid with a custom-fit outfit during Paris Fashion Week. Manel Torres, whose company Fabrican has been making "clothes-in-a-can" for more than 20 years, and the label teamed up.

Light Spray Technology

The Light Spray shoe resembles a sock in shape, with no seams, tongue, or laces. The spray releases a single continuous string of thermoplastic filament while the shoe outsole is positioned atop a rotating robotic arm. An inkjet printer adds colours, and a foam rubber sole is subsequently attached using heat instead of glue.

The Light Spray shoe was the most recent version of what some call the Super Shoe Revolution, which Nike kicked off in 2016. The first three racers to cross the finish line in that year's marathon sported identical neon green shoes with the famous "swoosh" design on the sides. This was the first "super shoe" in history, a prototype for the Nike Zoom Vapor Fly, which would completely change the running industry.

Technological Doping

For better or worse, since the 1970s, doping by Olympic athletes has been a major problem for at least 50 years. Before the Paris Games, testing for prohibited substances in athletes was once again the highest priority.

This was due to media reports in the spring of this year showing that nearly two dozen athletes on the Chinese national team had failed drug tests in 2021 but were still allowed to compete, with several of them taking home medals.