Adidas’ Boost midsole is now available in higher definition.
The German footwear brand has revealed the future of its iconic Boost midsole: the Boost HD. To celebrate the “next evolution” of the technology, Adidas will be releasing it first in a new silhouette, the Pulseboost HD, an urban running shoe designed with the help of some of the world’s premier running communities.
According to Adidas, the new Boost HD midsole was designed to sit lower to the ground, giving its wearer more room to maneuver and increasing agility compared to the previous model. Overall, Adidas said it developed the Boost HD to provide more stability while still returning the same amount of energy as before.
The Pulseboost HD, an urban running shoe, will be the first to feature the new technology. The silhouette was designed by Adidas from the ground up to showcase the capabilities of Boost HD. However, the brand also wants the shoe to serve as an ode to urban running and enlisted the help of runners from New York, Paris and Berlin to consult on its development throughout the process.
“To create Pulseboost HD, we started by breaking down the elements of running in a city, namely position of the foot. For example, runners are more on their forefoot than midfoot. We then used computational design and, most importantly, insight from key urban runners to create Pulseboost HD,” the brand said in a statement. “This isn’t a product made by Adidas, it is a shoe created by urban running culture.”
Apart from a brand new Boost HD midsole, the Pulseboost HD will be one of the first Adidas silhouettes to feature an exclusive Continental rubber “Adaptive Traxion” outsole, designed with the help of artificial intelligence. Adidas’ new urban running shoe will also be one of the first to be outfitted with Adapt Knit, a new upper design that bears some resemblance to the brand’s proprietary upper weaving technology, Primeknit.
To truly ensure the Pulseboost HD stands out, Adidas has confirmed the silhouette will include a QR code on the tongue of each shoe that, when scanned, gives the user access to an exclusive Spotify playlist curated for the wearer’s specific region.
Related Stories
“Running in a city is unlike running anywhere else. Traffic, lights and crowds make for a unique experience—high challenges that come with high reward,” Stephan Schneider, Adidas Running’s product manager, explained. “We wanted to create something that was born from urban runners. Their infrastructure. Their inspirations. Their energy.”
Adidas released a limited-edition monocrome colorway of the Pulseboost HD via its website and the Adidas app last week, and the brand will release a full selection of colorways available worldwide, Thursday.