ATHOS launches world's first 3D printed climbing shoes

athos’ 3D printed climbing shoes spotlight user comfort

Founded by a young team of designers and engineers from Barcelona, Spanish startup ATHOS has launched the world’s first 3D printed and custom-made climbing shoes, designed to maximize user performance and comfort. ATHOS kickstarted the project in collaboration with IT giant HP and online 3D-printing service Sculpteo to address a very real problem for climbers: footwear size. ‘If you have ever climbed you will know that climbing shoes are really uncomfortable. They need to go really tight to the feet in order to have a good performance. Almost all climbers use 2, 3, or even 4 sizes less for their climbing shoes, which hurts a lot,‘ explains the startup.

a four-step manufacturing process using AM technology

A first of their kind, ATHOS’ climbing shoes tackle that straining discomfort head-on by leveraging the power of its two tech giants: each pair is 3D printed by Sculpteo using HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology — resulting in flexible and comfortable footwear that optimizes performance at every step.

‘When we started this project at ELISAVA, we were searching for an innovative application by using additive manufacturing (AM) technology. […]By using AM technology, each climbing shoe is customized considering the user’s feet shape, needs and type of performance. […]For the manufacturing of one Athos climbing shoe, you just need to print the body and assemble the rubber and the pull straps. It is a really simple manufacturing process that can be reproduced and distributed all over the world,’ continues the team.

all images courtesy of ATHOS

To get their custom pair, users are first requested to scan their feet via the ATHOS mobile app before being asked to personalize and customize their shoes — i.e., picking a preferred shape, color, type of climbing, etc. Once all the information is logged into the app, the startup team can launch the four-step production process: 3D printing, post-processing, assembly of parts, and, finally, delivery to users. The project has been shortlisted as a national runner up for the James Dyson Award.