Adidas has unveiled the Futurecraft M.F.G. (aka “Made for Germany”), a shoe assembled by robots in its Speedfactory – an almost exclusively robot-staffed manufacturing facility located in Germany.
The facility – which is expected to go commercial in 2017 with a second factory in Atlanta, US – is getting ready to roll out more shoe models in the coming future.
The sleek running shoe features Adidas’ trademark Primeknit upper and Boost mid sole, similar to popular models like Kanye West’s Yeezy 350s.
Majority of the crafting is done by machines and the design relies heavily on data from ARAMIS, a motion capture technology that maps an individual’s skin, bone and muscle to create a more comfortable shoe.
Adidas says customers should expect more robot-made products to be released by the company over the next few months. The shoemaker recently released sneakers made partially with 3D-printed materials – also part of its Futurecraft line.
This year Adidas plans to finish only 500 robotic prototypes, not aiming to replace its current mass manufacturing methods (humans) anytime soon. In fact, the company is saying that it will create about 160 jobs for people overseeing the factory.
According to the US Census Bureau, robots will take five million jobs in the U.S. alone by 2020. Meanwhile, the International Labor Organization has reported that 137 million Asian workers could lose their jobs to robots in the next 20 years.
Companies hope to gradually replace their workforce with the option of cheaper and more time-efficient labour – robots. The advent of robots in retail will also result in companies opening factories closer home or in more developed nations like the US, as opposed to the current options of China, India, and Brazil.
Adidas reveals shoe completely made by robots
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