HADAR NEEMAN
P-rouette
Bespoke 3D Printed Point Shoes
We are living in an age where technology is prevalent and accessible in almost any field, including sports. Why were point shoes left behind? In order to allow customization for professional dancers, most point shoes are still created by hand using traditional techniques. P-rouette is a new pointe shoe, custom-made using 3D scanning and printing. The bespoke shoes with elastomeric polymer combined with textile offer superior support for the foot and minimiz dance injuries.
The process of fitting the shoe to the foot and the specific requirements of each dancer is done with the help of an app. The app allows the user to scan the foot, and then to select various parameters such as the level of stiffness of the sole, color and the name of the dancer, which will appear on the sole.
The tip of the shoe is printed in a unique structure known as a lattice structure, which can only be produced using 3D printing technology. This structure has several advantages: it is stable and durable and at the same time very light. It is also possible to control the density of the structure and thus produce shoes with different levels of rigidity, according to the needs of each dancer.
The tip of the shoe is printed using a transparent plastic material. The purpose of standing in a on pointe is to produce a sense of lightness and almost levitation. This feeling is enhanced by the transparency of the shoe tip.
