New Nike patent may let consumers design their own shoes using virtual reality
A Nike patent published on 3 Feb by the United States Patents and Trademark Office shows how the company’s design technology would let users design their own shoes through the use of virtual reality, reports Quartz.
In the patent, images show a person wearing goggles as they draw on a blank shoe with something that looks like a pen. One section of the diagram read; “User designs article using augmented reality design system -> Design is received by proprietor -> Article is manufactured according to user’s design.”
The shoemaker’s NIKEiD website already lets users design their own shoes by choosing different styles and colors, but this would provide a drastic advancement when it comes to the customization of footwear.
It is currently uncertain what the designing software will be used for – it may only be available to Nike designers to create prototypes since the patent does not specify what the technology will be used for in the future.