At the heels, they are thick and wide, with tall and narrow cells. You can see this for yourself by observing the shape of the midsole. The 3D printing approach allows adidas to micromanage the characteristics of the midsole at various points in the shoe, and this has been done using data from runners.

Getting these properties out of conventional approaches would require the midsole to be manufactured in parts, which would compromise the integrity of the whole thing. The midsoles has some parts with additional cushioning, some parts that are more firm, and some parts that are wide and narrow. adidas has collaborated with Carbon to manufacture the midsoles using a process known as Digital Light Synthesis. Instead, the whole sole is grown from a liquid resin, using light and oxygen. This is not your typical 3D printing setup, where layers upon layers of material are added. The midsoles are manufactured using additive manufacturing through light and oxygen. Then comes the midsole, which is another innovation. The end result are shoes that look awesome, and feel even better. All of this effort ultimately results in an incredibly lightweight upper, that still manages to maintain its shape, providing structural support just where needed, and is flexible enough for the entire range of movement that the human leg is capable of. The approach allows a reduction in the amount of thread typically used in the uppers.

After the stitching, the TPU coated yarn is heated and compressed, which melds the plastic layer to the fabric. The yarn is stitched in different layers and angles throughout the shoe. They are woven in such a way that some parts of the shoes have more structural support than others. Each thread is crafted on a millimeter scale, with properties appropriate to where they will appear on the shoe. The uppers use Forgefiber tech, which uses Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coated yarn. This is because every part uses some technological innovation or other. Before getting into the quality and comfort, it is good to get an understanding of how these shoes are made. There are a bunch of other Lucasfilm sneaker collaborations by adidas, but the AlphaEdge version is easily the best of the lot. The bonus is the Star Wars branding, where every part pays homage to the Death Star and the dark side of the force. This gear is so futuristic that you can get lost just appreciating all the details, and trying to stare into the depths of the mid sole. The adidas AlphaEdge 4D looks and feels like it has taken a jump backwards in time.

Adidas 4d star wars