Nike unveils the Air Zoom mercurial concept football shoe

Years ago, Nike tried to use air cushions in football shoes. Now, the progress and application of air cushion technology make Nike design team use air cushion again on this special product. In addition to functional applications, zoom air is the inspiration for the overall aesthetic of this football shoe.

Li Zhengyu, senior design director of Nike football, said: "the full-length zoom air unit is the source of the whole design. We imagine what the football shoes will look like if the air unit extends from the side and then covers the shoes.". According to this imagination, we finally created a translucent upper. If we change the color of the insole, the appearance of the shoes will change at any time. "

This is the first time Nike has used Nike flyprint technology on the upper of football shoes. Flyprint technology is Nike's first 3D printed fabric upper technology applied to functional shoes, and first applied to Nike Zoom vapor fly flyprint shoes, worn by marathon runner elud kipchaug.
The Nike flyprint upper is shaped by solid-state deposition (SDM), which is the process of releasing TPU fiber from the coil, melting, and then weaving layers. The application of flyprint technology helps designers transform athlete related data into geometric data for creating new textile upper. Nike flyprint is an important step in the digital research and innovation of Nike fabrics, and has developed a number of Nike proprietary technologies to optimize the machine. Nike flyprint technology will become one of the members of Nike Hyperfuse, Flywire and flyknit, which are important technology heritage of Nike, and help Nike achieve unprecedented performance solutions on the court.

Compared with the traditional 2D material, 3D fabric has a special performance: due to the realization of the connection between warp and weft, 3D printed fabric can provide better stretch; this advantage of flyprint fabric comes from the integration of materials. For example, there is a certain friction resistance between the interlaced yarns (warp and weft) on 2D woven fabrics, while in 3D printed fabrics, due to the blending of the threads, it has a better wrapping precision. Compared with the upper of previous products, the upper of Nike Air Zoom mercurial football shoe is lighter and more breathable, and equipped with all conditions control (ACC) technology to cope with different weather conditions.

Nike's computational design ensures that the upper is reinforced where necessary with optimized, football specific flyprint technology. The Nike Air Zoom mercurial soccer shoe also features Flywire technology for extra support.
However, the zoom air unit with a thickness of only 4.5mm is still the focus of this football shoe, although its function is quite different from that in previous attempts. In this modern product, the air cushion is more important for energy feedback than cushioning.
"In the past, the focus was on cushioning the heel, but the players in mercurial didn't rely on their heels." Li Zhengyu reminds me. "We've designed this product for players who are relying on their forefoot full speed over and over again. Therefore, our design focus is on a thin air cushion covering the whole foot, which is flexible and quick. You don't get stuck in it, you rely on it to start quickly. "

Through the sole, this zoom air unit can not only be seen, but also one of the exposed parts can be touched. To mark the 20th anniversary of the zoom air unit, the words "20 zoom" appear on the heel stabilizer. Air cushion technology is not only one of Nike's most iconic technological innovations, but also one of the most sustainable technologies. Since 2008, a lot of recycled materials have been used in all Nike Air sole technologies. Flyprint technology is also a sustainable manufacturing process. In tribute to this, the inside of this football shoe is written with "structure printed as a single strand = zero waste".
Li Zhengyu concluded: "Nike Air Zoom mercurial football shoe is a glimpse of the future and our future direction. With the existing air cushion technology and flyprint, as well as the ongoing research and development technology, the future of football shoe design has unlimited possibilities. "