Design of Cleatless Soccer Shoes

Nike, Inc. Engineering, 2008-09

Liaison(s): Brian Baker
Advisor(s): Nancy Lape
Students(s): Kevin Festini (TL-S), Alex Kurtis Jr. (F), Kacy McKibben, Michael McNeece (S), Daniel Rodriguez, Victoria Wu (TL-F)

Cleats on soccer shoes desensitize feel on the ball and cause many injuries. The goal of the project is to design a cleat-free soccer shoe that achieves the same traction properties as conventional soccer shoes today. The design also must achieve these traction properties on any playing surface. Furthermore, the project solution must not have protrusions greater than three millimeters. The team has created and tested a variety of design alternatives to satisfy these conditions.