Team Berca: Smart Shoes

Shoes are ubiquitous, serving as protection, status, personal statement and health aid. For more than 10,000 years, people have worn shoes to insulate their feet from the surrounding environment, which includes extreme temperatures, ground surface conditions, or unwanted impact. Shoes have reflected fashion, station, age, power and status for centuries. They also serve the function of enhancing performance in various activities, be it walking for the physically disabled, running for the Olympian, or providing protection for the farmer. Overall, shoes serve the same functions today as they have for more than 10,000 years. While materials used in the shoe and the manufacturing processes have evolved and changed over the years, the foot has not, nor have the fundamental reasons for using footwear. In fact, shoes constructed centuries ago might still be worn, functioning as was intended originally. Could shoes have added features and function in new ways? Our team believes this is possible primarily due to the advent of powerful microprocessors and new technology which enhances development of new materials and manufacturing techniques. Emerging wearable technology is aiming to make people’s lives better and smart footwear must follow suit.

Berca International, an Indonesian shoe manufacturing and distribution concern, tasked the combined interdisciplinary design team composed of graduate students from Stanford and Aalto Universities to innovate novel approaches to smart footwear as part of ME310, a graduate course in design. The goal is to develop a new approach to smart footwear that will allow Berca International to penetrate the U.S. by differentiating it from the competition. With the wide range of disciplines, ranging from mechanical engineering, computer science and mechatronics to entrepreneurship and design research, the design team is ready to take on Berca’s challenge.