A pair of shoes that has been made for 37 years, how to play new tricks

After releasing the first pair of sneakers with Air cushion in 1978, Nike became the most well-known "Air cushion" enthusiast in the shoe industry. They continuously adjust the appearance, function, and technology of the air cushion.

A landmark moment was on March 26, 1987, when Nike released the Air Max 1. Since then, Air Max has become Nike's most important product line, and this series has become the longest-lasting "technological IP" in the shoe industry.

Compared to Air Tailwind, the designer of Air Max 1, Tinker Hatfield, established the stylistic foundation for this series: exposed air cushion—this inspiration came from Tinker Hatfield's trip to Paris and his accidental inspiration from the exterior of the Pompidou Center. This also became a necessary feature for every generation of Air Max: a visible huge air cushion—bold, daring, and giving users the sensation of stepping on air.

37 years after the release of the first pair of Air Max, on March 26, 2024, Nike released the Nike Air Max Dn. Dn is the abbreviation of the key technology "Dynamic Air" in these shoes, and "Dynamic" vividly summarizes the essence of Dynamic Air technology: dynamic air cushion.

Given the sensory upgrade brought by Dynamic Air to the shoes and the impact of this technology on the Air Max series, Nike Air Max Dn was selected for the Huxiu's "Upward New List·New Technology Sub-List".

Dynamic Air technology changed the air cushion mode of the previous Air Max. In the Nike Air Max Dn, each shoe adopts a dual-pressure airbag unit design. The dual-pressure airbag unit consists of two independent air chambers, each containing two airbags. The two independent air chambers are located at the rear and front of the heel.

A key technical point is that Nike has allocated different pressures to different air chambers: the pressure in the rear heel is higher, reaching 15psi, while the pressure in the front heel is lower, at 5psi.

In each independent air chamber, the air between the two airbags can flow freely, absorbing and transferring external impact forces through flow, and transmitting the shock after attenuation to the feet. Due to the different pressures in the front and rear air chambers and the airflow between the airbags, the Dynamic Air technology ultimately forms a set of air cushion groups on the shoes that can be "dynamically" balanced.

Image Source: Nike Dynamic Air has improved the stability and provided higher resilience to the shoes. The "dynamic" air cushion system can adjust the air pressure at any time when the user is walking, which means a faster response efficiency.

From the perspective of research and development, Dynamic Air is a key project that Nike has invested its core resources in. Over the past three years, key departments such as Nike Sports Research Lab (L) and Air Innovation Production Center have been involved in this project. Nike has also adopted new research and development technologies.

Image Source: Nike

Finite Element Analysis technology is a key digital technology introduced in the development process of Dynamic Air. Through this technology, the entire R&D team can quickly complete digital simulations and understand the wear prediction and foot pressure situation of a pair of shoes during actual foot movement. Based on this technology, the Nike team continuously goes through a process of testing - improving - retesting.

The birth of Dynamic Air has been deeply influenced by these digital technologies, to the extent that the designer's original experience had to give way to digital simulation results. At that time, the Nike team tried to find the best pressure distribution for two air chambers. According to their original experience, the team believed that a softer air cushion should be placed at the heel (), but after testing and adjusting through digital simulation technology, the team found that allocating a larger pressure value and harder air chamber at the heel position provided a more significant cushioning effect.

In order to amplify the performance of Dynamic Air, Nike also adopted some other technologies in the Nike Air Max Dn. For example, around the Air cushion, Nike used injected Phylon foam wrapping technology to enhance the foot wrapping sensation, while in the heel area, the team designed a rubber outsole for better traction.

To improve the overall support of the shoe, the Nike team used a TPU arch stability plate in the midfoot area, which can provide stronger support to the midfoot while maintaining the shape of the shoe. In the heel area, the team also matched TPU patches to strengthen the support effect on the Achilles tendon.

After the launch of Nike Air Max Dn, it quickly became a hot product for Nike in 2024, with the first wave of new products selling out quickly through multiple channels. It is reported that this product has over 60 different color designs and will be released in different regions in 2024 in a phased manner