First was the Croc, a rubber one-piece shoe best suited as a doorstop – that is until you tried one on and realized it might be the most comfortable

World's first AI-generated and 3D-printed shoe makes its dubious debut

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2025-01-12 04:30:03

First was the Croc, a rubber one-piece shoe best suited as a doorstop – that is until you tried one on and realized it might be the most comfortable thing you've ever put on your foot, despite the scornful looks from your peers. Then came the Kanye/Adidas collaboration-abomination called the Yeezy, with a history so tumultuous we hesitate to even bring it up.

Cue the new Syntilay, the world's first entirely AI-designed and 3D-printed piece of thermoplastic polyurethane to call itself a shoe. The exact composition of the slide-type sandal hasn't been made public, but there's a pretty high chance it's TPU.

The Syntilay company used Midjourney AI to create the basic shape of the shoe, after which an artist drew a sketch based on Midjourney's creation. That image was run back through Vizcom AI to produce a 3D computer model. After that model was created, generative AI was used to apply the patterns to the model, to give it some character.

The shoes are custom-3D-printed for each order. Before you buy, the company has you scan each of your tootsies with your phone, so that each shoe gives you a comfortable and personalized custom fit, even if your feet are two different sizes. They come in five colors, and will cost you a hefty US$149.99 a pair. Click on any image to see the gallery of all the colors.