World’s first AI-designed, 3D-printed shoe wants to be the next Crocs

Is this the AI-driven future of custom 3D-printed shoes?

Move over, Crocs. There’s a new contender in the world of unconventional footwear.

Syntilay, a startup with a sparkle in its eye and artificial intelligence on its mind, has just unveiled what it claims to be the world’s first entirely AI-designed and 3D-printed shoe.

This futuristic footwear is turning heads and raising eyebrows in equal measure.

The birth of Syntilay

Syntilay, whose name is derived from “scintillate” (meaning to sparkle), is the brainchild of 25-year-old entrepreneur Ben Weiss. The company’s journey from concept to creation is as unique as the shoes themselves. Using Midjourney AI, they generated the basic shape, which was then sketched by an artist. This sketch was transformed into a 3D model using Vizcom AI, and finally, generative AI added the distinctive patterns and textures.

Ben tells CyberGuy, “AI designing shoes is going to disrupt the category because of the incredible speed to go to market. New releases for traditionally made shoes take around 18 months for a model to release, with AI making them and 3D printing, that is now only a few months.”

Customization meets comfort

One of Syntilay’s standout features is its commitment to personalized comfort. Before you can slip your feet into these futuristic slides, you’ll need to scan your feet using your smartphone. This ensures a custom fit for each customer, even accommodating those with different-sized feet. Available in five colors – blue, black, red, beige and orange – these shoes are priced at a not-so-modest $149.99 per pair.

Before you can slip your feet into these futuristic slides, you’ll need to scan your feet using your smartphone. (Syntilay)

The grand plan

While Syntilay is pushing the boundaries of shoe design, they’ve also got some serious old-school cred in their corner. Joe Foster, the co-founder of Reebok, is lending his expertise to the project. With Foster’s experience in building a $4 billion shoe empire, Syntilay is hoping to make big strides in the footwear market. Syntilay’s ambitions extend far beyond selling a few thousand pairs of quirky slides.

They’re eyeing the $85.8 billion U.S. footwear market, with plans to open their platform to brands and content creators. This could potentially allow influencers and brands to design and sell their own AI-created footwear, tapping into a market that has traditionally been difficult for non-shoe companies to crack.

Sustainability steps

In an age where environmental concerns are at the forefront, Syntilay is putting its best foot forward. The shoes are 100% recyclable, with customers able to return them at the end of their life to be transformed into new products. This closed-loop system could potentially revolutionize the footwear industry’s approach to sustainability.