Hasta La Ideas

The London 2012 Paralympics begin tonight and over the coming days we’ll be featuring a selection of cutting-edge sportswear designed for the competing athletes, starting with the Nike Spike Pad as worn by “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius.

South African double-amputee sprinter Pistorius previously used regular track spikes and had to glue or tape the plates onto his blades in a process that took a couple of hours before each race and meant they were never quite the same twice.

The Nike Spike Pad is designed to adhere directly to the Össur Flex-Foot Cheetah blades he wears, using just contact cement to reduce weight while maintaining strength and stability. It also takes only 30 minutes to attach both of them now.

Nike innovation director Tobie Hatfield developed the design over the course of several months by reviewing high-speed video of Oscar running on a treadmill to identify the impact point of his blades during each stride and get the spike receptacles in exactly the right positions for traction and consistent performance.

The spike plate is made of carbon fibre with a thermoplastic polyurethane coating, while the midsole pad comprises two pieces of foam with two different densities: softer at the back to cushion landing and harder at the front for take-off.

Pistorius has been using the Nike Spike Pad since February and is pictured here in tests at the Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.

The Nike Spike Pad is also worn by Pistorius’ American rival Jerome Singleton and the two will go head-to-head in the T44 100 metres next week.

See all our stories about design for London 2012 »

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for Oscar Pistorius appeared first on Dezeen.

Movie: the base and sock lining of these lightweight football boots by Nike are made of castor beans, as explained in our next movie with the brand’s global creative director for the Olympics Martin Lotti ahead of this evening’s exclusive event at the Nike+ House of Innovation at Selfridges.

Brazilian footballer Neymar (below) has worn the boots throughout the Olympic football tournament and has scored three goals in the lead up to the final against Mexico.

Along with the sprinting shoes and knitted running shoes, the boots are coloured neon yellow to be clearly identifiable as part of the Nike products range.

Each boots weighs only 160g and the upper is made from 90% recycled material.

Lotti will talk to Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs about Nike’s latest innovations for the London 2012 Olympics in front of an audience at the event we’re hosting this evening – more details here.

Watch other movies in this series – featuring a sprinting shoe inspired by suspension bridges, knitted running shoes, a bumpy speed suit that’s quicker than bare skin and a basketball kit with built-in combat pads – here.

See a story we featured previously about the boots »
See all our stories about Nike »

The post Movie: Nike GS
Football Boot appeared first on Dezeen.

Sports brand Nike has unveiled an ultra-light football boot featuring components made from beans and recycled plastic (+ slideshow).

The Nike GS boot weighs just 160 grammes and features a sock liner made entirely from castor beans while the laces, lining and tongue are made of 70% reused plastic including recylced plastic water bottles and polyester.

The sole plate is made from 50% Pebax® Renu – a renewable material made largely from castor beans.

Here’s some info from Nike:

Nike has unveiled its Nike GS football boot in London today, the lightest, fastest, most environmentally-friendly production boot the company has ever made.

Due to be worn this summer, designers were challenged to create a new football boot stripped down to include only the essential elements that deliver lightweight performance and high speed control in game situations. The resulting boot is constructed using renewable and recycled materials and designed for explosive performance on the pitch and lower impact on the planet.

Every component of the Nike GS has been optimized to reduce weight and waste, creating Nike’s lightest football boot ever at 160 grams for a size 9.

Conceived and engineered in Italy, the Nike GS features recycled and renewable materials throughout the upper and plate design. A bio-based traction plate made primarily from castor beans ensures strength and flexibility on pitch alongside a sock liner made from 100% castor beans. The boot laces, lining and tongue are made from a minimum of 70% recycled materials. The toeboard and collar, feature at least 15% recycled materials.

“The Nike GS is the lightest and fastest football boot we’ve ever made and really defines a new era in how we create, design and produce elite football boots,” said Andy Caine, global design director for Nike Football. “When you can deliver a boot that combines high end performance and a low environmental footprint that’s a winning proposition for players and planet.”

Nike GS includes the following performance, recycled and renewable materials in the new boot:

Traction Plate & Stud Configuration:

Nike GS traction plate combines a high performance chassis with a strong responsive and agile form. The sole plate is made of 50% renewable Pebax® Renu (a plant derived material made with 97% castor beans) and 50% TPU, made from renewable materials. The plate is 15% lighter than a traditional plate composition.

The traction plate includes a minimalist diamond-silhouette spine, which provides optimal flex and agility in plate performance. Anatomically positioned studs maximize speed in multiple directions to ensure responsive and assured movement on pitch.

Touch & Control:

A solvent-free Kanga-Lite synthetic upper provides zonal reinforcement for exceptional touch and control. The synthetic upper also supports lockdown on midfoot and arch area.

The lightweight and chemical-free sock liner is made of 100% castor beans and eliminates any layers for a snug fit and enhanced touch on the ball.

Stability & Support:

Anatomical and asymmetrical heel counter and heel bucket locks the foot down for stability and support. The counter is made of Pebax® Renu, derived from castor bean oil.

Nike GS will be available through Nike.com and selected online retailers from August 15th.  The price will be $300.

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by Nike appeared first on Dezeen.

Mobile watches zero in on the fitness market

As nostalgic as we are for horology, the developments in wearable digital media platforms are introducing some thrilling competition. Down at CES, tech heads were treated to a selection of accessories with intelligent interfaces, understandably weighted toward the fitness market, where pocket-less fashion necessitates uber-mobile technology. Below you’ll find GPS-tracking, heart rate-monitoring, statistics-organizing and time-telling watches that are making a go at usurping your old Timex.

The super-sleek Basis watch is aimed at health-minded individuals looking to track their fitness process. Detailing essential data like heart rate and calories, the platform allows users to share their progress with friends in a simple web “dashboard” that assigns point values to health achievements. Basis is launching Spring 2012 and will retail for $199.

The Magellan Switch series works best for hardcore athletes who often find themselves off the grid. Fitness feedback includes distance, speed and elevation provided by Magellan’s GPS system, and can connect with heart rate monitors, bike speed sensors and other ANT+ technologies for additional information. The nine activity profiles are ideal for multi-sport athletes, with progress uploadable to popular personal training sites like Strava and Training Peaks.

Motorola’s MotoACTV is another sports-centric watch with a heavy lean towards music playback. The workout tracker is powered by an Android app that is accessible online, with all fitness stats recorded without external sensors. The accompanying waterproof, wireless headphones are designed to tune out the pain as athletes work towards their fitness goals. MotoACTV is available from the Motorola store for $250.

For the everyday wearer, the WiMM One offers a simple platform that is easy to style individually. Working off of built-in apps, the platform is highly customizable, both in terms of mounting and digital readout options. The allure of WiMM is the platform, which is open to third party developers to create new uses for the watch.

The all-in-one i’m watch works with apps to connect the user to social media, news, weather and other essentials. One standout feature is the ability to send and receive calls through your Bluetooth connected phone from the watch face. The watch is available through i’m watch’s online shop for $329.

An NYC courier’s must-have on-the-go accoutrements

Josh Rovner is the living embodiment of the adage “time is money.” As a rider for Clementine Courier he pushes pedals on the pavement regularly, weaving through traffic with the precision of a well-oiled machine, all in the name of delivering packages on time. In just a year and half, Clementine has amassed a dedicated client base from all types of industries, including fashion, whose daily deliveries include garment bags and shopping bags up to fifty pounds over the standard weight limit.

Rovner, who has been cycling his whole life, is blessed with a tall and lean body type that can handle such uneven weight ratios at top speed. It’s not surprising that when he’s not delivering packages, he’s training for races. Working as a courier helps him build stamina for the long haul by making him bike extremely long distances. “A good one I did was out to JFK—that was pretty fun. I’ve gone up to Connecticut before, out to New Jersey too,” says Rovner. An airport delivery is easily a 40-mile round-trip guaranteed to keep him off the radar for at least half the day, and since Rovner gets paid per package drop, that’s quite the time commitment.

Like most messengers, Rovner and his team of four other riders pack the same essentials every day. His kit includes bunches of rope to strap things to his body, spare pens and notebooks and a clipboard full of manifests; essential paperwork that every rider must always have on his or her person. Now that the mercury outside is dropping, Rovner is also careful to pack gear to fight the elements. “In fall I always keep arm warmers or gloves, and sometimes a rain jacket with me,” he says.

Rovner also carries a hefty arsenal of tools he uses for everything from making small adjustments to his bike to reinforcing the cleats on his shoes. Now that he can store these in his Coach Bowery Leather Handlebar bag, he’s got more free space for precious packages. Rovner also carries a spare $20 bill, just in case, and a tube of super glue to patch up cuts and prevent the need for stitches. It’s kind of gruesome, but definitely hardcore. “Accidents happen a lot, most of the time we’re OK. You kind of have to learn how to fall,” points out Rovner.

Even off the clock, most of the Clementine Courier crew keep at least one bag on them, presumably out of habit, to not only to fix their bikes on the go, but also to stash a few beers on their backs. During the rare times they go without the baggage, Rovner and his friends, used to riding while weighted down, revel in the difference: “All of a sudden we’re really fast, really light, and really agile. You lose 20 pounds and that weight to muscle ratio is adjusted.”

Most of the time, however, Rovner finds himself strapped. Clementine Courier prides itself on its riders’ ability to carry odd-sized and heavy packages all around town, a standard that has Rovner constantly adjusting his riding pattern to be efficient, but still safe. Whenever he finds himself loaded down, he can’t help but think, “I just earned my beer.”

The Carry On series is brought to you by Coach.