Designer to make 3D printed shoes from synthetic biological material

A British designer has mooted a concept for a pair of running shoes that could be 3D-printed from synthetic biological material and that repair themselves overnight.

According to London designer and researcher Shamees Aden, the trainers, which would be made from 'protocells', could be 3D-printed to the exact size of the user's foot to give a perfect skin fit.

The shoes would also be able to provide extra cushioning as they puffed up with pressure and movement.

Aden told design magazine Dezeen, that as users ran on different grounds and textures the shoes would be able to inflate or deflate depending on the pressure put onto them.

Once the run was over, the shoes would require to be placed in jars filled with protocell liquid, which would keep the living organisms healthy. According to Aden, the wearer would need to  care for the shoes "like a plant", making sure they had the natural resources needed to rejuvenate the cells.

The project was developed by Aden in collaboration with Dr Martin Hanczyc, a professor at the University of Southern Denmark who specialised in protocell technology. The aim was to help a broader range of people understand the potential of protocells.

Though protocells which are very basic molecules are not alive by themselves, they can be combined for creating living organisms.

By mixing different types of these non-living molecules, scientists are attempting to produce artificial living systems that could be programmed with different behaviours, including  responsiveness to pressure, light and heat.

The liquid in which in which the shoes would be placed, could also be dyed any colour, that would see the shoes take on that colour as the cells rejuvenated.