Publication

Rethinking Sports Shoe Sole Design Through Physics-First Approaches

2026

Abstract

Sports shoe soles are available in a wide variety of designs, often accompanied by claims regarding grip, stability and performance. This project originates from a simple question: are these geometries the result of scientifically validated optimization processes, or are they primarily driven by design and marketing considerations? To address this question, a complete pipeline is developed to transform existing sole patterns into experimentally testable structures. These are then evaluated under controlled friction conditions to generate quantitative performance data. By directly investigating the mechanical interactions between sole patterns and the ground, this physics-based experimental approach aims to provide a more objective understanding of the influence of sole design on sports performance.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/15907f75-0b00-4858-ae7f-ddc888dba55c

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2026

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/15907f75-0b00-4858-ae7f-ddc888dba55c

About this result

Related concepts (32)

Physics

Physics is the natural science of matter, involving the study of matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. Physics is one of the most fundamental scientific disciplines, with its main goal being to understand how the universe behaves. A scientist who specializes in the field of physics is called a physicist. Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines and, through its inclusion of astronomy, perhaps the oldest.

Design

A design is a concept of either an object, a process, or a system that is specific and, in most cases, detailed. Design refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, though it is sometimes used to refer to the nature of something. The verb to design expresses the process of developing a design. In some cases, the direct construction of an object without an explicit prior plan may also be considered to be a design (such as in some artwork and craftwork).

Design methods

Design methods are procedures, techniques, aids, or tools for designing. They offer a number of different kinds of activities that a designer might use within an overall design process. Conventional procedures of design, such as drawing, can be regarded as design methods, but since the 1950s new procedures have been developed that are more usually grouped together under the name of "design methods". What design methods have in common is that they "are attempts to make public the hitherto private thinking of designers; to externalise the design process".

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