Stratasys Innovation at the Museum of the Future

This is no ordinary museum and 3D printing is no ordinary technology.” Gonzalo Herrero Delicado, Museum of the Future, Curator.

Located in Dubai, UAE, the Museum of the Future is an exhibition space for innovative and futuristic ideologies, services, and products. It will open with a two-year ‘Tomorrow Today’ exhibition that will explore how society could evolve in the coming decades, combining elements of traditional exhibition, immersive theatre and themed attractions. Visitors can look beyond the present and towards the future's limitless possibilities.

Described as ‘an architectural and engineering marvel’ the building itself is a perfect example of applying advanced technology to traditional art-forms. The symbolic circular shape represents humanity; the green mound it sits atop represents the earth; the void represents the unknown future.

It is this desire to embrace the unknown future and showcase the full capabilities of human ingenuity and inspiration that aligns with Stratasys’ dedication to open up new possibilities for the next generation of designers. An example of this ingenuity will be on display in the museum in the form of a pair of revolutionary 3D printed shoes by Assa Ashuach, The Evolve.  

Led by the renowned designer, Ashuach’s research project explores conceptual footwear design and manufacturing methodologies resulting in two shoe designs that address sustainability as well as personalization. He focuses on the development of material combinations as well as fabrication methods to create sustainable alternatives to current designs.

The Evolve shoe contains a personalized midsole ‘Evolve Sensor’ that studies its wearer while recording their movement data (foot inclination, temperature, pressure and friction, etc.). The information collected through the sensor is used by the production team to create the next generation of shoe which will therefore include improved design features based on performance.

This design was printed on the Stratasys J750™ Digital Anatomy™ 3D Printer using a combination of materials typically used for ultra-realistic anatomic models, including TissueMatrix™, a skin-soft, contractile material that is flexible but durable; BoneMatrix™, a strong, flexible-rigid material with shape-memory; and GelMatrix™ and GelSupport™, which deposit patterns that allow for the printing of large and small, complex vascular structures with easily removable internal support material. The endless density grade possibilities and variety of materials used in this design provide incomparable softness and support.

Naomi Kaempfer, Creative Director for Stratasys, says AI-based consumer products like Ashuach’s shoes open the door to personalized “self-learning” performance products. “We are curious to research solutions that can impact the fashion market, consumer experience, and responsible production,” she said. “Assa’s Evolve shoes are unique in their ‘black box’ concept; incorporating code into the product that behaves like DNA, allowing the design of the shoe to mutate and improve with each manufacturing generation.”

The museum’s curator is prominent architect and educator, Gonzalo Herrero Delicado. His independent portfolio includes projects for the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, Barbican, Tate, Serpentine Galleries, Goldsmiths University, ICA and the Arquia Foundation. He has worked as an advisor to many cultural organizations and museums including The Earthshot Prize, Climate Art, Bridgepoint Rye, Matadero Madrid Centre for Contemporary Creation, UCL's ETHNO-ISS, London Festival of Architecture and The Design Museum.

It is at The Design Museum that Herrero Delicado provided onlookers with an example of how 3D printing can influence design and is moving beyond commerce and culture to address and question urgent political, social and environmental issues – the ‘Fear and Love: Reactions to a complex world’ exhibit.

Included was Neri Oxman’s Vespers, a Stratasys collection of masks that leverage 3D printable bioactive materials to spatially template the biological response of living microorganisms. These consider different ways we can remember those who have passed, from mapping their external features to capturing their final breath and retaining it as a dynamic visualization of that person.

Herrero Delicado says, “Any museum that explores and identifies how future technologies impact the human race has to include 3D printing. It was a natural decision to include ‘The Evolve’ and Stratasys technology offers the perfect insight into the potential of the technology.”

The Evolve shoe promises to have a similar impact on visitors to the Museum of the Future. Stratasys 3D printing has found its place at the heart of this extraordinary concept and will do so for years to come. 

To see The Evolve 3D printed shoe, visit the Museum of The Future which opens 22 February 2022 in Dubai, UAE.

The Evolve was printed on the Stratasys J750™ Digital Anatomy™ 3D Printer using a combination of materials typically used for ultra-realistic anatomic models.

Dubai’s Museum of the Future is a modern architectural marvel that combines traditional values with new-age technology.