On February 1st, Adidas released a video on YouTube that advertises a new running material called “Adidas Boost.” The video shows three balls being dropped on three different types of materials: concrete, the traditional EVA material that most running shoes are made of, and the new Boost material. The ball that is dropped on the Adidas Boost material bounces far higher than the balls bounced off of concrete and EVA. What is going on with this new Adidas Boost material?
The answer is hard to know because Adidas has been very quiet about the Boost technology. Adidas has said that it will provide more information about Boost on February 13th, so we may just have a wait a few days.
It will be interesting to see what Adidas has up its sleeve because EVA has been the standard material for running shoes for many years. EVA stands for ethylene vinyl acetate, which is a combination of two different types of plastics. The foam created by these two plastics is made up of small cells that contain gas. When a run lands on the EVA material, the gas is released from the cells, but is immediately sucked back in when the runner lifts his foot off the ground.
EVA provides excellent cushioning and has a decent life (around 500 miles). The question for Adidas is how Boost improves on this tried-and-true technology. It is great that Boost appears to have exceptional cushion, but how durable is it? I guess we’ll have to wait a few days to find out.
Update (February 13, 2013): Adidas released some more information about Boost today. According to a press release, the Boost material is created by turning solid granular material (TPU) into thousands of small energy capsules. Adidas claims that these capsules store and unleash energy more efficiently in every stride. Adidas also claims that the Boost material has better temperature resistance than traditional EVA material. The jury is still out about whether Adidas Boost actually will improve your running performance, but it is certainly worth a look.
If you are interested, below if the video released by Adidas advertising the Adidas Boost material:
