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13. Applications and implications

Objective: Design and manufacture an auto-lacing sneaker 100% in a FabLab

How I will get there…

What will it do?

Present a solution for shoe tying.

Who’s done what beforehand?

My research reveals that Nike is currently the only group with an auto-lacing sneaker on the market and unfortunately their process is not open source and their product is very pricey $$$. I did find a few deconstruction videos that were helpful to an extent.

What will you design?

I will design the entire sneaker from the ground up; including sole, insole, pattern, and upper, custom foot last, lacing mechanism, sneaker sole molds, a DC motor control board, embedded program.

What materials and components will be used?**

  ATTINY44-SSU
  PINHD-2X2-SMD (2)
  FTDI-SMD-HEADER
  AVRISPSMD (AVRISP)
  CDBM1100-G Shottky Diode
  5V REGULATORSOT23
  1uF CAP-UNPOLARIZED (2)
  10uF CAP-UNPOLARIZED
  10kOhm Resistor (4)
  499Ohm Resistor (2)
  Red LED
  Green LED
  0Ohm Resistor (7)
  6MM_SWITCH6MM_SWITCH (2)
  A4953-H-BRIDGE-MOTOR-DRIVER

Where will come from?**

  • The electronic components and motor: DigiKey.

  • 1.5” thick Machinable Wax: MachinableWax.com 1.5” (38mm) 6” (152mm) 12” (304mm) $24.95

  • Cast-able rubber compound: Smooth-On 2.0 lbs. $27.78

  • Keenstone Upgrade 9.6V NiMH 1600mAh Amazon $14.98

  • Leather (12 X 24 Inches 2 Square Foot) $17.96

What parts and systems will be made?**

  • Molds

  • Sneaker sole

  • Sneaker pattern

  • Foot Last

  • rack & pinion linear mechanism

  • motor mount

  • DC motor controller board

  • Lacing system

Programs and Machines

3D Modeling

  • Rhino
  • Fusion360

3D Printing

  • Sindoh
  • Gigabot

CNC Machining

  • Shopbot
  • VCarve

Sneaker Pattern Design (2D)

  • Adobe Illustrator

Laser Cutting

  • Epilog

ElectronicsDesign & Production

  • Autodesk Eagle

  • MODS

  • MonoFab SRM

Programming

  • Arduino IDE

What Questions Need to Be Answered?**

What problem do I want to solve?

I want you to pull a lace

How am I going to do that?

Using a motor and sensor

What kind of motor is best to use?

Stepper or DC

Where in the shoe will the laces be pulled?

Back or inside, built into sole

When do the laces pull

My current design features 2 buttons that the user can use to adjust the laces. However I plan on putting force sensors into the design so the shoe can detect the user, in addition to a bluetooth module so the user can make adjustments via an app.

The shoe is about the user experience

The shoe will use sensors that can detect tension and the volume of the foot inside, when a user puts it on, the shoe closes to a comfortable amount of tension, forming around the shape of the wearer’s foot. I also want to add a kinetic energy system in the sole ,so the shoes can charge as the user walks.

How will it be evaluated?

A working auto-lacing shoe and fulfilling the final project requirements


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