A New 3D Printed Rival for Adidas? This Japanese Startup Promises Advanced Propulsion Tech
Leveraging the same Carbon DLS 3D printing technology as the Adidas 4DFWD, Hybex’s new HX Lens features a patented 'Helix' lattice structure to maximize energy return, the company says.
Japanese startup Hybex has officially entered the high-performance running market with the HX Lens, a 3D-printed challenger to the industry-leading Adidas 4DFWD. While most footwear relies on standard foam, the HX Lens utilizes a patented “Helix metamaterial” midsole designed to mechanically convert vertical landing impact into forward propulsion. Interestingly, both Hybex and Adidas have turned to the same secret weapon for their manufacturing: Silicon Valley-based Carbon and its proprietary Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) resin technology.
The HX Lens running shoe, introduces the company’s patented Helix “metamaterial structure” that aims to convert landing forces into forward propulsion.
According to Hybex, conventional running shoe soles can create an energy-sapping “braking” effect when the foot strikes the ground. The HX Lens addresses this through its 3D printed lattice structure that compresses while rotating forward during impact. This motion is designed to redirect vertical landing forces into horizontal movement, creating smooth propulsion through the runner’s stride. This is the same claim made by Adidas about its 4DFWD shoe.
The 4DFWD, launched in 2021, is part of the broader Adidas 4D platform. Although Adidas does not release sales numbers for the 4DFWD model specifically, we know millions of 4D midsoles have already been produced overall, which translates into several million pairs produced globally.
Like the 4DFWD, the HX Lens features a midsole produced using Carbon’s DLS resin additive manufacturing technology. The process uses proprietary materials to create elastomeric lattice structures suitable for performance products such as footwear. Carbon describes the approach as enabling manufacturers to produce highly detailed lattice geometries that would be difficult to achieve with traditional manufacturing methods.
Designing these complex structures typically involves Carbon’s Design Engine software, which generates and customizes lattice geometries within a product’s design. The software allows engineers to integrate lattice structures into a solid model and adjust parameters to achieve specific mechanical behaviors within different regions of the part.
In the HX Lens, this manufacturing and design workflow enables the Helix to provide both structural rigidity and rapid snap-back, the company says. The lattice structure stabilizes the foot from initial ground contact through toe-off while maintaining the forward-rotating compression that defines the shoe’s propulsion concept.
With the official launch of the shoe, Hybex is positioning its combination of Japanese structural engineering and Carbon manufacturing technology as a new approach to performance footwear design.
The HX Lens is currently available in a black through Hybex’s official store.
You May Also Like:
Listen to All3DP’s News Podcast:
License: The text of "A New 3D Printed Rival for Adidas? This Japanese Startup Promises Advanced Propulsion Tech" by All3DP Pro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.