Athletes from all over the world demonstrate outstanding results in their sports, including thanks to comfortable and functional equipment. Lightweight, but at the same time providing soft cushioning and feedback shoes are highly appreciated in sports circles. Given the enormous pressure experienced by athletes’ feet, high-tech foam, similar to the one used in the Nike Tiempo Lunar PRO boot model, allows you to make shoes for many sports much more comfortable.
Nike Tiempo Lunar PRO cleats, which are an excellent development both in terms of style and performance, are the result of many years of work to find the optimal technology that meets the requirements of professional athletes. This model was developed taking into account their very diverse wishes. For example, football players, who usually take about 10,000 steps per match, need shoes that would withstand constant pressure and give elasticity to the movement of the foot. In small raincoats, however, futzalki are needed, which would soften contact with the coating when jumping and provide instant repulsion during explosive changes in the direction of movement.
In an effort to develop such a universal model of sports shoes, Nike designers Kevin Hoffer and Eric Avar, more than a decade ago began developing LunarLone technology. The result of their hard work was the appearance of the Nike Lunarlon cushioning sole, which is now used in Nike shoes for football, running, basketball, skateboarding, baseball, tennis and other sports, providing light and responsive cushioning to athletes of different ages and levels all over the planet.
We understood that if we could successfully combine both of these parameters, we would create unique, ultralight, responsive”boots that the world has never seen before,” Hoffer said. Our goal was to educate people and develop a fundamentally new system.”
INSPIRED BY ASTRONAUTS
Hoffer and Avar drew inspiration from looking at photos of astronauts wandering on the surface of the moon. The smooth, elastic and weightless movements of the astronauts were as similar as possible to what the developers sought to provide athletes in the end. Subsequently, they assembled a cohesive team consisting of chemical engineers, designers and technicians to search for and develop the right material – “space age foam”, which was manufactured by Nike Advanced Material Interest Group. It was an alloy of two elements: light ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and an elastic spherical spring made of nitrile rubber (NBR). This is how the optimal combination of foam and air was obtained. It was given the name Lunarlon.
The development team experimented a lot, using various methods, in order to transform the resulting substance into something functional. It was a long and difficult process that led to the appearance of the first prototype in 2005.
Our first reaction was a loud wow!”- said Hoffer. It was a real breakthrough. Shoes with such excellent cushioning will create a feeling of running on pillows for athletes.”
EXPANDING HORIZONS
Lunarlon technology debuted with a new boot model in the summer of 2008: Nike LunarGATO for futsal. The players appreciated how effectively Lunarlon technology minimized the impact of contact with the surface, while providing elasticity and support.
Returning to the Nike World headquarters, the designers began to reflect on how the miraculous technology could benefit athletes from other sports, if adapted to their specific functional needs. People engaged in fitness, skateboarding, golf and snowboarding also wanted to see in action the magic “foam in shoes for their sports.
The team of Hoffer and Avar managed to change the approach and destroy the existing stereotype that good cushioning requires an increase in the dimensions of the sneaker.
AROUND SPORTS
These days, the Nike SB P-ROD 8 model with a lightweight, impact-resistant sole helps to soften the blows when performing tricks, while ensuring optimal contact with the board, which is extremely important for skateboarders.
The women’s model of Nike Lunar Cross Element sneakers and the men’s version of Nike Lunar TR1, being equipped with a Lunarlon sole, provide light and responsive cushioning, versatile and very durable, which is ideal for performing various sports exercises from sprinting races to regular squats, as well as for high-intensity workouts, such as, for example, “crossfit”.
As for runners, the Nike LunarGlide6 is the most stable of all the models of the LunarGlide series created before it, providing easy cushioning during grueling long-distance races. Every day, world-class runners such as Shelane Flanagan, a bronze medalist in the marathon and at a distance of 10,000 meters, evaluate the advantages of Lunarlon foam and the soft cushioning when running, which is provided by sneakers based on it. The LunarGlide6 model is available in variations for women and men, girls and boys.
Nike Basketball Hyperdunk is characterized by a feeling of incredible lightness, as well as excellent cushioning, which provides soft and responsive foot movements of basketball players on the court.
Nike Lunar Vapor Trout, the first named model of Mike Trout for baseball, gives athletes a strong and ultralight cushioning when performing sharp accelerations.
Nike Tennis Lunar Ballistec, available in male and female variations, provide tennis players with explosive speed with light cushioning without additional load due to weight gain.
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
In the six years since the introduction of Lunarlon, this extremely popular depreciation technology has been used in the manufacture of shoes of eight different styles and categories.
The Nike LunarGlide 6 presented this year with an updated sole pattern uses a lightweight version of Lunarlon foam. The novelty also features improved Dynamic Support stability and a completely updated top.
LunarGlide is an excellent combination of functionality and style,” says Rob Williams, Senior Specialist of the Sports shoe design department. We have applied a comprehensive approach, working to improve stability in the LunarGlide 6 model, and Lunarlon technology provides light, soft and responsive cushioning. This is the best we could take from two parallel worlds in order to give runners – light cushioning and excellent support.”
Constant consultations with athletes helped to develop innovative shoes with a special sole pattern that mimics the dynamics of a runner’s foot movement during takeoff and landing on the surface.
SLIDING ON LUNARLON IS EVEN EASIER NOW
The functional characteristics of the LunarGlide 6 model significantly affected its appearance. Inspired by modern architecture and minimalist design, Williams’ team actively studied patterns and color blocking.
The design details and colors of the LunarGlide 6 epitomize modern running,” Williams said. The design of these sneakers is simple and neat, they are designed to provide excellent performance without any distractions.”
The Nike LunarGlide 6 features the use of lightweight Lunarlon foam for even softer, lighter and more responsive cushioning. This allows amateur runners and world-class athletes to overcome many, many kilometers, literally sliding on the surface thanks to the light, soft and responsive”Lunarlon foam.
