Pointe: A Posture-Sensing Dance Shoe
Year
Adidas
Project Type
Branding
THE APPROACH
The project began with the body, not the shoe. Anatomical research into foot structure, muscle direction, and the mechanics of common ballet injuries (pronation, supination, and toe overloading) established the clinical foundation. This was paired with 10+ in-depth user interviews with dancers to surface the lived experience: where pain occurs, when it's ignored, and what feedback would actually change behaviour mid-movement. Three distinct sensing principles emerged from this research: pressure, tension, and compression, each mapped to a different zone and failure mode of the foot.
THE SOLUTION
The result was a prototype built around three integrated sensing mechanisms. Pressure was addressed through a magnetic viewing sheet infused with nanoparticles, housed in a Grasshopper-designed 3D printed Elastico polygel casing, visualising toe load through colour change in real time. Tension was handled through directionally-placed slits that open under correct posture and reveal strain under misalignment, designed from direct observation of incorrect positions worn on a sock prototype. Compression feedback was delivered through 3D printed proprioceptive pads, providing physical sensory cues to guide alignment without requiring the dancer to look down. The upper was inspired by bandaging, wrap-style construction in flexible materials to evenly distribute pressure and accommodate the full arc of pointe work.
THE RESULT
A validated functional prototype delivered to Adidas with targeted injury-prevention recommendations across three sensing modalities. The project demonstrated a full design cycle from anatomical research and clinical user insight through to material selection, iterative prototyping, and final exhibit, and contributed to Adidas's Advanced 3D footwear development pipeline.
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