Process Post:
Our idea for an adjustable high heel shoe came from the initial brainstorming days of the studio as we were thinking of common problems that come about from everyday shoes. We thought about high heel shoes and how they are commonly worn, but also very uncomfortable. Forty-two percent of women say they would wear them even if they are “extremely uncomfortable.” That being said, after a long night of dancing or walking around the city ones feet get very tired, and heels can often cause severe foot fractures. We decided to create a shoe that can be used as both a flat and a heel without compromising on fashion.

We started out designing a heel that would compress while walking. This compression would happen using springs in the heel. After lots of discussion, we decided we would make the heel adjustable rather than compressible.  Eventually we decided on a heel that locks in many positions. The user can walk around with flat sneaker-like shoes on. When the user gets to their final destination, the user can adjust the heel to a desired height, allowing them to have the heel they want without the incredible discomfort. 

Our first idea (a compressible heel) incorporated a spring allowing the user to have a more comfortable walking experience. We tested a few iterations of this but it was very unreliable. We also tried to create a wedge heel with springs in it. After prototyping a basic rectangular design with one piece that would be adjustable, we found that adjustable levels would create a more functional product. 

We did a walking study to measure where the front of the foot bends when one walks. This study showed us where to split the shoe, complimenting the natural bend of the foot. From this study, we created our various iterations of the adjustable heel. 

Iteration 1: Adjustable heel with slots on top and channels on the bottom:
The first iteration of our adjustable high heel was comprised of a bottom layer with a track on it and the top layer with square slots. The heel mechanism slid on the bottom track and locked into the square slots. To adjust the heel, one would need to lift the top layer with the square slots, slide the heel mechanism on the track, and lock it in place by placing it in one of the square slots. After putting pressure on the heel, we realized that this iteration was not very stable. We also discovered that adjusting the height of the heel was not easy, and would be a pain for any user.

Iteration 2: Adjustable heel with two channels
The second iteration of our adjustable heel was comprised of two layers, both of which had channels. There was an adjustable heel apparatus that would slide easily on the channels. While this idea was more easily adjustable, there was no stable way to lock the heel in the various locations.

Iteration 3: Wedge shoe with 2 heights
After exploring various innovative shoes, we stumbled upon many wedge-type shoes. We had the idea of a channel, and from that we decided that creating an adjustable wedge would be more practical, and more aesthetically pleasing than a pump-style heel. The adjustable wedge is made up of a channel, with ellipses screwed together, creating the heel. This wedge shoe had two heights; the set wedge height, and a flat. The flat would be achieved by folding the heel into the bottom of the shoe. This channel was large so that the heel and the screw portion of the heel would fit in the bottom of the shoe, allowing a flat to be created. This model is created out of wood. Unfortunately, it was difficult to lock the heel in place to make it a stable and secure wedge.

Iteration 4: The Final Iteration
Our final iteration is a new and improved version of the wedge heel. We switched to 3D printing for the final iteration. This allowed us to design channels for the heel to slide on, a layer to lock the heel in place, and a layer for strap channels. Additionally, 3D printing this shoe allowed us to create a slight heel in the model so that the transition from a flat to a wedge would be more comfortable and sturdier. Finally, we create indents in the adjustable channel so that the wedge can vary heights, bringing back the multi-stage adjustability of our first and second iteration.

The main purpose of our shoe is to create a high heel shoe that can be both fashionable, but also comfortable. In this adjustable wedge one can have the shoe be flat and comfortable when they are walking around in the city, and then when they get to their destination they can adjust it into a fashionable wedge. The common problem with high heel shoes is that they are uncomfortable and impractical when walking around. With this shoe, someone can have a comfortable and fashionable way to solve this problem.

One of the most important pieces of clothing that we have is our shoes. Shoes protect our feet from dangerous surfaces, keep feet safe from the elements, and look fashionable. However, since human feet vary so vastly in size and shape, making shoes that can conform to the feet of multiple people is a difficult challenge. The shoe industry's solution to this problem is to have thousands of plastic molds, known as lasts, for different sizes of feet. This is very expensive and takes up a lot of space. However, small shoe manufacturers are unable to acquire so many lasts. We solved this problem by creating a last that automatically adjusts to one's foot. 

Our automatically adjusting last is made up of 4  3D printed pieces - 2 moving side pieces, a moving front piece, and a stationary center piece. To individually move the sections of the last we used 3 stepper motors, with metal screws and nuts to allow the turning of the motors to move each piece forward and back. Since the stepper motors require both a microcontroller board and their own drivers, all electronics, with the exception of the motors, are housed neatly in a box outside of the Last. The whole thing is powered by a combination of USB computer power and a wall adapter. 

For controlling the last we used a Rhino plugin called Grasshopper which is a block-based programming software which can manipulate Rhinoceros 3dm files. This, used in conjunction with Firefly which allows Grasshopper to communicate directly with Arduino microcontrollers, allowed us to make a program that analyzes a 3d scan of somebody's foot, and used data collected from that scan to move the model to match the user's foot.  

This product will not only allow small shoe manufacturors to have one versatile last instead of thousands of staid lasts, but it will also allow people with irregular feet to have shoes custom made to order.

One of the most important pieces of clothing that we have is our shoes. Shoes protect our feet from dangerous surfaces, keep feet safe from the elements, and look fashionable. However, since human feet vary so vastly in size and shape, making shoes that can conform to the feet of multiple people is a difficult challenge. The shoe industry's solution to this problem is to have thousands of plastic molds, known as lasts, for different sizes of feet. This is very expensive and takes up a lot of space. However, small shoe manufacturers are unable to acquire so many lasts. We solved this problem by creating a last that automatically adjusts to one's foot. 

Our automatically adjusting last is made up of 4  3D printed pieces - 2 moving side pieces, a moving front piece, and a stationary center piece. To individually move the sections of the last we used 3 stepper motors, with 3D printed screws and nuts to allow the turning of the motors to move each piece forward and back. Since the stepper motors require both a microcontroller board and their own drivers, all electronics, with the exception of the motors, are housed outside of the model. 

For controlling the last we used a Rhino plugin called Grasshopper which is a block-based programming software which can manipulate Rhinoceros 3dm files. This, used in conjunction with Firefly which allows Grasshopper to communicate directly with Arduino microcontrollers, allowed us to make a program that analyzes a 3d scan of somebody's foot, and used data collected from that scan to move the model to match the user's foot.  

This product will not only allow small shoe manufacturors to have one versatile last instead of thousands of staid lasts, but it will also allow people with irregular feet to have shoes custom made to order.

Large shoe companies, such as New Balance, have the resources and space available to purchase and store hundreds, even thousands of models of feet which they use for shoe making. These are known as lasts. A last is a modified casting of a foot. However, smaller companies and shoe makers can neither afford nor store such a vast array of lasts. Even companies such as New Balance see the quantity of lasts that they own as a burden. Our product reduces the number of lasts that a company would need to just a few. It does this by being automatically adjustable. 

The concept of our project was to create an adjustable last that could change itself into various different shapes and sizes of feet. We first thought of how to do this completely manually, but quickly discovered that it would be much more interesting to have the design automatically adjust itself. We decided to make the product automatically adapt to a person's foot based on a 3d scan of his or her foot. We decided to do this using Grasshopper, a plugin for Rhino, and Firefly, which allows Grasshopper to interface with Arduino microcontrollers. 

We had a few initial decisions to make. The first was how to slice up the last to allow for movement. This took a great deal of thought. We considered cutting up a model of a last and having the parts move, having just certain sections move away from a central piece, and even more abstract ideas such as using air bags to allow for more uniform growth. In the end, we decided to cut up a last and have several pieces move away from one central piece. We understood that this would not create a perfect replica of a foot since there would be gaps. Instead of focusing on creating a perfect model of a foot, we instead decided to focus on accurately representing the general shape of a foot as a proof of concept. Some much more advanced technology could be implemented later to make the model more accurate.

We also had to decide how to generate the linear motion required to move the piece. We considered buying linear actuators, but decided there were better, more creative solutions. We found a simple way to make a linear actuator out of a chapstick container, and continued with the idea of using a screw to generate the motion.

Our first iteration included a main base piece with two moving pieces. This was inspired by a shoe horn, which fits into any shoe to help it hold its shape. Although this design was a good proof of concept, there were several flaws. Since only two pieces were moving, the gaps between pieces became very big. Also, in this design we used servos. While these are small and allow for high degrees of control, they only allow for 180 degrees of rotation, which was not sufficient for our needs. 

Our second iteration took several slices of material away from the last to create three moving pieces. This design switched over to stepper motors on an Adafruit motor shield for an Arduino. These allow for very precise control of continuous rotation. This design was very close to our final design, yet it had one major flaw. By removing the slices of the foot we hoped to make it so that the average men's foot (men's size 9.5) would be in the middle of the last's scale of movement. So, we started with a size 9.5 last and removed material so it could in theory shrink down to a men's size 8. However, when it was fully compressed there were pieces of material sticking out creating an unusable model.

For our final iteration we kept the same geometry as in the second iteration, but instead of removing slices of material we just split the last into several pieces. We started with a men's size 8.5 foot instead, knowing the last would not be able to get any smaller. That way it would still be a relatively accurate model of a foot at size 9.5. In the final iteration we switched over to EZ Drivers to control the stepper motors as they interface with Firefly better. 

To start off our project we started to brainstorm ways that we could make sports shoes easier to use, and, ultimately, have multiple uses. One group member recalled an experience at a triathlon that he was watching, and pointed to the turmoil and hardship that comes with the transition between running and biking. So, we quickly went from there and came up with the idea to create an exoskeleton to a biking shoe that could be strapped onto a running shoe. From the cusp we broke up into factions. Jesse became the sketcher, creating sketches on paper and on Rhino that would be put into T-Splines, Max became the "T-Spliner", creating the shoe and the 3d model on Rhino using T-Splines; a Rhino based software that allows for easy morphing, and Leo became the "grasshopper", creating a way to adjust the size of the shoe in order for the user to change sizes easily. 

Our product was designed on the basis that the user would input his/her size shoe, and also any other specifics such as wide feet, and be able to 3d print an exoskeleton within a few hours to his/her running shoe so that it can clip onto a bike. 

1st Iteration

After we made our first prototype which was made of cardboard, we realized that the design concept we were using was very good and could go further, but our design was also very small and unrealistic for use in a triathlon. The design from our first iteration would have to be adjusted to actually lock onto the pedal. After our first iteration we needed to decide not only how the shoe will lock to the pedal but also how the users running shoe will fit into the exoskeleton. These changes were being made to better the design, and our final product. After our first iteration we felt that our product was well made, but could be edited further. So, we took it back to T-Splines for adjustments to make an actual 3d print.

2nd Iteration

The structure and design of the second product had all of the necessities, including slits for Velcro straps and a connection for the bike clip. The main problem with this iteration was miniscule size. Since the printer could only print to a certain size in one piece we knew that this was going to be a problem, and in our next iteration we needed to come up with a solution. 

3rd Iteration

In our next design which we solved our problem by printing the exoskeleton in two different parts. We were only able to print one half of to begin but it was enough to  realize that we had created a usable, shoe like product that one could not only be stepped into, but walked around in. This design also had the capability to lock into an actual bike pedal. The biggest problem with this iteration, the last one before the final, was that the shoe was too big, and somewhere in the T-Splines and Rhino process the model that we were basing the exoskeleton off of got scaled up too big. Once this was scaled back down, and the toe overhang was brought down a tad, we printed our final product. 

Grasshopper:

Grasshopper was used to allow the shoe to become easily customizable. We used different components to adjust different parts of the shoe. We did this because no shoes are made equal; therefore, one shoe will not fit all. With these functions one can adjust the width at different points as well as the length of the exoskleleton. This was made under the futuristic goal of having 3d printers readily accessible in users' home's

1st Iteration:

Our initial design modified an artwork known as "Reef Urbana", which used technology that allowed the "scales" to move when the humidity levels in the air rose. Our idea was a shade that would be able to open and close depending on the weather (i.e. open for cooling/breathability and close for drying/waterproof purposes). After we each mocked up our designs out of cardboard cut-out we realized this idea was a little too hectic and not very functional.

2nd Iteration:

For our second iteration, we completely altered our design and decided on a shoe with holes all over it. We got our inspiration from a Nike shoe known as Nike "Zvesdochka" unisex shoe. Our design was holes placed throughout the shoe and a mechanism which would allow the "pores" to open and close. After brainstorming, we realized there was no simple enough mechanism that would have the ability to open and close nor did we like the visual/physical aspect of the design. Ultimately, we never went through with creating a prototype of our design and came up with a whole new idea.

3rd Iteration:

For our third iteration, we decided on a three part design: triangulated designs on both the upper and side sole and louvers near the heel of the shoe. This idea was inspired by the Louis Kahn Art Gallery, brought to our attention by Rosie. Lilly worked on the triangulated design on the side-sole; she started working with patterns on the bottom sole, but quickly switched her direction to the sides of the shoe because it allowed for more purpose (i.e. breathability/cooling and visual-appeal). Jordana worked on a similar triangulated design, but on the upper part of the sole, she basically created the whole "top" of the shoe. She created multiple versions, changing the dimensions in order to fit the exact size of the shoe in Rhino and laser-cutted them out of both cardboard and felt. I focused on the louvers; I made many iterations in Rhino adjusting the size of the pole and re-working the shape of the flags. After 3D printing a prototype of a louver, I realized the whole piece was off due to the flags being curved, so I went back into Rhino and made the flags flat and changed the dimensions of the pole to fit the overall sole.

4th and Final Iteration:

For our final iteration, we had our 3D-printed sole with the louvers bolted into the holes and the felt draped on the top.

The main idea of our "pores" shoe is to allow for both breathability and the cooling down of your foot. Although most running sneakers use moisture-wicking material (mesh), we found that many peoples' feet are still very much heat-induced while wearing them. Our goal is to naturally "cool down" your feet with louvers that manually open and close like window shutters. Also, our triangulated design soles allow for more breathability of your foot. 

The product we have created has been specifically chosen to appeal to triathletes of a beginner level. While many may think that cycling shoes are non-essential for entry level triathletes, they are actually a nessesity for all triathletes, beggeniners and pros alike. Many competitors are turned away by the extortionate prices that the average cycling shoe costs. Our product solves this plight by making a cheap, reliable and simple product that can be 3d printed within hours, and size adjusted on Grasshopper. The cycling shoe exoskeleton that we have created provides enough support with the velcro straps, and elevated curves on the sides to allow the user to experience the full feeling of having a real cycling shoe on. Another bennefit that our exoskeleton offers is that when the competitor needs to remove his/her cycling shoe and change into running shoes all they need to do is loosen the velcro, and step out.

Our exoskeleton cycling attachment is important because it offers an alternative to expensive cycling shoes for entry triathletes and cyclists alike, and it can be detattched from your shoe whenever your would like to remove it. Some athletes never purchase cycling shoes because they just do not feel the need to change shoes for more performance, but our product avoids that problem so you never have to make that decision in the first place.

We created a breathable shoe that changes as you walk and cools your foot down in the process. It is composed of three main parts; the heel, the sole, and the outer shoe.

The sole is 3D printed and works like a bellow. There is a hinge in the shoe that allows the heel to expand and contract. When the heel contracts it pushes air through your shoe and cools your foot down. The sole has origami around it that expands and contracts as you walk, creating the air-tight bellow.

The upper part of the shoe is 3D printed and is meant to camouflage the origami in the heel and add cohesiveness to the design. It uses the same pattern as the origami sole, but doesn’t expand and contract.

The heel is made of fabric and is laser cut. It is made of layers of fabric stacked on top of each other to look like a sneaker. The layers are all sewn together. The outer shoe is what holds all the parts together and makes it look like a shoe.