Originally scheduled to be announced at an ASICS Innovation Summit in Tokyo this winter, ASICS took its shoe innovation into Virtual Reality, for ASICS’s first product preview in VR. Media, athletes and shoppers can experience the three new shoes up close and personal in the virtual innovation lab of the ASICS Institute of Sport Science. The Institute is the home of ASICS innovation in Kobe, Japan.
The three new shoes – Metaracer, an advanced racing shoe for long distances; Metarise, a volleyball shoe; and the spikeless Metasprint track shoe for elite sprinters – are designed to help athletes perform and protect them at the same time.
The three new shoes were unveiled in the Sunrise Red color scheme, which is a symbol of athletes’ hope, passion and dedication and celebrates the city of Tokyo, site of the since-postponed 2020 Olympics.
“We believe that now, more than ever, it’s important to remember the positive impact of sport for individuals and society: exercise uplifts people, so they achieve a sound mind through a sound body. And what better way to showcase ASICS innovation than taking people to a virtual innovation lab that brings our technology to life,” says Yasuhito Hirota, president COO of ASICS.
A review of the three new shoes:
- Metaracer: The Metaracer is ASICS’s most advanced long-distance racing shoe yet, designed to help performance athletes reach their peak. It combines its Guidesole technology with a carbon plate to give runners more stability. The shoe has an improved toe-spring shape that reduces the load on the calf muscle by up to 20 percent for energy efficiency.
- Metarise: The Metarise Indoor shoe features a curved heel design that supports smooth transition and lift off for the attack. Research at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science has shown that the Metarise gives players an extra three percent lift.
- Metasprint: The track shoe replaced spikes with a honeycomb carbon fiber outsole that optimizes and enhances traction and delivers explosive speed. With no spikes inhibiting the stride, athletes will transfer additional power with every step.
