EXTRAGUARD and AI in a Design Experiment
AI tool creates designs for GORE-TEX safety footwear with EX-TRAGUARD upper technology
Artificial intelligence (AI) in design offers fascinating opportunities for inspiration and creation - but also in the design of protective safety footwear? GORE-TEX Professional (Gore), is testing the challenges and limits of AI in this area. The focus of the experiment: the innovative upper technology EXTRAGUARD, which is processed in the latest safety footwear. The result: amazing design inspiration.
The innovative EXTRAGUARD upper material is incorporated into GORE-TEX safety footwear, making it robust, waterproof and at the same time permanently lightweight - even in extreme weather conditions. Compared to leather, the material enables a wide range of design options because it can be processed differently - the best prerequisites for the 'EXTRAGUARD and AI' project.
"We see ourselves as an incubator of ideas, want to inspire our customers and open up new horizons for them as well as for us. This also includes thinking differently about shoe design with the support of AI," explains Leonhard Schlichting, Business Leader Workwear at GORE-TEX Professional. "But one thing is clear: AI can be used to quickly visualize footwear designs, but whether they can actually be realized still requires technical expertise from Gore and the customer."
The starting point for the AI experiment was a selection of keywords that were refined during the AI process, and from these, individual AI design variants were subsequently created. "In total, we developed four EXTRAGUARD categories with style variants, all in the safety footwear segment. Chelsea boots, rigger boots, athletic safety shoes and rubber boots - instead of rubber, with EXTRAGUARD material," says Cornelius Waiblinger, Managing Director at AI Alanis.
"There is already a lot of interest from customers in what the design of safety footwear with AI could look like. With this project, we want to initiate discussions for new GORE-TEX EXTRAGUARD styles and are already looking forward to the exchange with our customers," explains David Bastias, responsible for strategic marketing footwear at GORE-TEX Professional.
About Gore
W. L. Gore & Associates is a global materials science company dedicated to transforming industries and improving lives. Since 1958, Gore has solved complex technical challenges in demanding environments — from outer space to the world’s highest peaks to the inner workings of the human body. With more than 12,000 Associates and a strong, team-oriented culture, Gore generates annual revenues of $4.5 billion. www.gore.com