ATHOS collaborates with HP and sculpteo to launch 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, the Spanish startup ATHOS has launched the world’s first 3D printed and custom-made climbing shoes, designed to maximize user performance and comfort. The project was kickstarted in collaboration with IT giant HP and online 3D-printing service Sculpteo to address a very real problem addressed by climbers, which is 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 ATHOS.
a four-step manufacturing process
A first of its kind, the ATHOS climbing shoes are 3D printed by Sculpteo using HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology — resulting in flexible and comfortable footwear that don’t strain performance. ‘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 startup.
all images courtesy of ATHOS
To get their custom pair, users are first asked to scan their feet using the ATHOS mobile app. Once the anatomy of their foot is registered, they can proceed to personalizing and customizing by choosing their preferred shape, color, use, etc. Once the information is logged into the app, the team at ATHOS can proceed to 3D printing, post-processing, assembly of parts, and finally delivery. The project has been shortlisted as a national runner up for the James Dyson Award.
closeup shot of the 3D printed material
the footwear focuses on user comfort
users can scan their feet using the ATHOS app 
customizing and personalizing the design
comfortable, flexible, and performance-focused
project info:
name: ATHOS climbing shoes
