Nobody can ever question Nike's push to create groundbreaking shoes and apparel to help people maximize performance across a multitude of sports. The latest innovation unveiled by the Swoosh is the Hexagonal Zoom Air cushioning system, which is prominently featured on forthcoming shoes such as the LeBron 12 and the Zoom Hypercross Trainer.
Now for the sake of those not as immersed in the tech side of sneakers, Zoom Air isn't new. In a nutshell, it's a lightweight, durable cushioning system made up of tightly stretched tensile fibers inside a pressurized Nike Air bag. When your foot strikes the ground in the act of running, the Zoom Air absorbs the impact by releasing the tension of the fibers, then quickly snaps back to its original shape to help prepare your foot for the next stride. Not only does the technology shave weight off Nike's athletic footwear, it can also be specifically tuned to meet the demands of different sports - from basketball, to running, even skateboarding!
Nike's Hexagonal Zoom looks to further develop on the precedent set by the Zoom Air technology. The hexagon shape isn't just for the sake of looks. It is arguably, nature's strongest shape, seen as a vital construction component in beehives. The use of hexagons shaves extra weight off shoes, allows better flexibility and brings feet even closer to the ground. While Zoom Air was usually placed only in the heel, Hexagonal Zoom provides maximum responsive cushioning for the area of the feet where most explosive movements such as pivots and sudden changes of direction start - the forefoot. Through data culled from research and testing, each hexagon has been tuned to the exact needs of modern athletic training, giving a tailored cushioning system ideal for all parts of your foot.
While Nike could have been content pumping out Zoom Air-laced here throughout, their drive to further improve their products comes as apt response to the state of the modern athlete. Regardless of sport, today's athlete plays at a higher gear, and whether they know it or not, needs a product that's equipped to keep that pace. Though the chances are high that we might not be on the same athletic caliber as LeBron James, the fact that this technology will be made available to gym rats and weekend warriors suggests that it could be possible to get there one day.
Source: Nike
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