Long ago, Nike revolutionized the footwear industry with its Nike Air. Nike Air technology often featured a section of transparent material that acted as a cushion on the shoe’s rear sole. Since its release in the 1970s, this technology has spawned a high-tech running shoe industry.
With several other brands competing in the same space, Nike has paved the way for the development of running shoe technology since the Nike Air.
We will review the most popular technologies that Nike developed some 30 years after the original Nike Air.
Shox technology
All road cars have shock absorbers intended to provide a smooth ride. Nike took this concept and applied shock absorber shaped columns to the heel area of their shoes with this technology. This gives the racer something very similar to an independent suspension on a road car. The effect is more traction and cushioning that adapts where it’s needed.
LunarLite
The recently gained popularity Nike Lunarlite foam is Nike’s interior material of choice among its best running shoes. The Lunarlite material was intended to give a very unique experience to Nike running shoes.
Zoom Air
The Nike Zoom Air is a thin material that provides cushioning inside the midsole of the shoe. Depending on the application, this can be segmented into the heel and toe, flat across the stretch of the shoe, or even just be present in the forefoot portion of the running shoe. Nike developed this technology to provide cushioning while maintaining extreme responsiveness.
Flywire
This is one of the new technologies introduced by Nike. Flywire technology attempts to eliminate foot slippage while running. To do this, it uses fibers placed around the shoe to ensure that the foot is held in place.
Source by Al M. Kind
