Nike Executive Says You'll Soon Be 3D-Printing Shoes in Your Home
Foot Locker's worst nightmare could mean great things for sneakers' custom design and fit.
Imagine the day when the universe tires of journeying to the nearest sporting goods store, or logging onto online-retailer-labyrinths like Amazon, to purchase hot, new pairs of sneakers. Those halcyon days of unadulterated convenience might dawn sooner than you think, says Nike executive Eric Sprunk, who spoke optimistically about the iconic sneaker brand getting into 3D printing at GeekWire Summit in Seattle over the weekend.
“Do I envision a future where we might still own the file from an IP perspective, and you can manufacture that either in your home or we’ll do it for you at our store?” he told the crowd.
“Oh yeah, that’s not that far away.”
Nike has been messing around with prototypes for 3D printed shoes for well over two years. The Nike Vapor HyperAgility Cleat debuted in February of 2014, replete with the hifalutin tech at the vanguard of athletic footwear — a field has actually lent itself to some legitimate scientific inquiries in the past.
Sprunk talks about printing 3D Nikes at around the 30-minute mark of the 43-minute video. Then, everyone claps.
