Self-repairing running shoes made from 3D-printed protocells

London designer and researcher Shamees Aden has developed a prototype for running shoes that could repair themselves overnight. Called Protocells Trainers, Aden’s shoes are made of protocells and 3D printed to the exact size of the user’s foot.

In collaboration with Dr Martin Hanczyc, a professor at the University of Southern Denmark, Aden developed a synthetic biological substance with protocell technology. Protocells are non-living molecules that can be combined to create materials that react to pressure, movement, light or heat. This material can be 3D printed to fit the wearer’s feet like a second skin.”The effect to the athlete is that