Rock climbing is a growing sport with slight variations. Rocks can be climb in different ways, some routes are long or short and can be finished in few seconds or multiple days.


Climbing shoes are the interface with the rock designed for every sports segment, each with uniques demands such as fit, shape, stiffness, and material properties.


Acqua instinct aims to implement design engineering techniques inside rock climbing footwear. Affinity Space proposes an outsole texture exploration and finishing to improve the heel adhesion in a 360° perspective. Also, it's proposing an explicit Finite Element Analysis to identify the areas with the highest stress concentration and have a close look at the climbing shoe performance.


The climbing shoe platform taken for this project it's the Scarpa Instinct S, which is one of the favorites shoes of our Lead Technologist. Moreover, the aesthetic inspiration comes from a ripple that is a gentle flow that produces waves, such a smooth effect resemblance a style of rock climbing that you need to flow along the wall, similar to a dance. AQUA-INSTINCT
CLIMBING SHOE
 Parametric design is a process methodology based on algorithmic thinking that allows the repurposing of design. This process enables the exploration and transformation of the outcomes with parameters and rules to create infinite possibilities.


Surface textures can have functional and physiological factors and are characterized by the repetition or element to create a pattern.


This pattern aims to match the appearance of natural textures by evaluating and synthesizing them into an artificial model. Affinity Space has been gaining expertise in the creation of precise, accurate, and multi-purpose 3D models. Digital models are intended to have full control of the topology, design parameters, and interactions between the different components or systems.


We keep in mind the different applications when creating a virtual model such results need to be functional for finite element analysis, smooth and light for rendering, and discrete for optimization.


Moreover, a fundamental step inside the Affinity Space design workflow is the implementation of FEA simulations in the early stages of the design process, helping to rapidly assess the design creating new ways to improve, optimize, and increase the performance of products and systems.


For this, we develop an internal workflow capable of creating fast, parametric, and accurate FEA setups.

For the simulation of a climbing shoe, we collected different biochemical and material data inputs to create an environment capable of representing the critical situation in which a climber requires the best performance of its footwear Topological optimization in performance footwear or inside the product whose main objectives are to be lightweight, stiff, and aesthetical appealing.
To create more efficient, sustainable, and competitive design processes the introduction of digital tools as computational design and finite element analysis are critical.

Such tools have the potential to allow upcoming footwear developments to be virtually designed and evaluated, reducing the number of physical testing and prototyping.


Finally, optimization tasks can be included inside the Affinity Space workflow to create a crazier and out-of-the-box solution, along with the DFM consideration to be implemented inside new or traditional manufacturing methods
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