Project: Designing a Bio-based barefoot shoe with a replaceable sole
Problems solved: Compostable shoe, Long life, Barefoot shoe benefits
Time: 10 weeks
This was my capstone project for design, and I put a lot of time into developing my shoes. Come with me through my process, and I'll explain along the way.
Sketches: I got started with my first concept. A shoe with a replaceable sole. After doing more research, I decided to make it Bio-based.
Materials: After doing more research, I found cornstarch-based leather, and started doing tests making natural rubber.
Latex testing: I bought liquid Latex, powdered sulfur, and a toaster over. I was going to be vulcanizing the rubber and got started with a few different variations after doing some research.
Testing mold: The next part of the rubber testing was the mold making. I did measurements on existing shoes for thickness, and 3D printed a small mold to test my button concept.
Prototype: I printed a full-size sole mold and made a right shoe to further test the button-on concept. It came out great and gave me things I needed to further develop.
Vacuum chamber: We had a vacuum chamber in our studio, and that led to better soles. There were no longer bubbles on the bottom.
First full prototype: After making some minor adjustments to the design from the first prototype, I was able to construct the first pair. There were still some parts that needed to be improved for the final presentation pair.
