About the Project

Wave Traction is the result of a set of experiments focused on generative/computational design for outsole geometries. Due to timing a different outsole design was used for the performance/on-court Harden Vol.2, however this design ultimately passed performance testing and was utilized on the lifestyle/off-court Harden Vol.2 LS designed by Nick Daiber.

This concept was conceived in adidas Future in 2015 - a parametric traction execution that could be generated and tested to find an optimal geometry that would provide ideal edge length, depth, compliance, and surface area to account for the wide variety of movements and directions of force exhibited by basketball athletes on a hardwood surface.

This was a collaborative effort with Future Engineering and Sport Science teams and computational designers Jacques Perrault and Andrew Schneider.

Similar to Adaptive Traxion™ the resulting geometry can be populated across a graded size run at the optimized scale to ensure tested traction performance and durability. This parametric approach allows for efficient application on future inline product designs. Proven base geometry attributes can be matched with individual outsole rubber compounds and oriented for sport-specific movements and surfaces, ensuring that lab-tested performance is always present in new product.