A children's shoe has managed to promote the union between academic research and entrepreneurship. A project by designer Ana Paula Lage from Minas Gerais, the Noeh shoe is the result of years of studies, initiated during her master's program at the Instituto Europeo di Design in Barcelona. The research has turned into a product that is now ready to hit the market.
The great differentiator of the Noeh shoe is that it simulates the dynamic behavior of terrain inside, as if the child is always walking on a more irregular surface, between sand and grass. The technology, aimed at children aged six months to two years, allows the baby to activate all the muscles in the foot and not just the areas activated by flat surfaces, providing a healthier way of walking.
Very focused on research and innovation, the product designer has always worked in different areas. She was one of the winning participants of the Hackathon Natura Campus Media Lab, held in 2014 in partnership with MIT. “At that opportunity, I discovered the importance of testing the basics, getting quick feedback, and developing a product that is more useful for society,” recalls Ana Paula. An experience that resonated in the creation of the Noeh shoe. While pursuing a PhD in Design, Technology, Ergonomics, and Materials at the State University of Minas Gerais, the researcher is transitioning to a new area, the business sector, with the challenges of launching a new consumer product.
The walking of an adult is different from the walking of a baby
This story begins when Ana Paula was starting her master's program and learned that her brother was going to be a father. Since she was already working with footwear, she became curious about researching baby shoes. She discovered a field that is still little explored. “The needs of a child's foot are totally different from the needs of an adult's foot,” she emphasizes.
According to the researcher, humans have only started learning to walk in shoes a little over a century ago, but our bodies were structured to learn to walk barefoot, on natural terrain. “Today's children only walk on flat, even ground, which does not allow the entire foot to be activated. Today, the configuration of our foot is supported on the heel, the tip of the little toe, and the big toe, but it is important to activate the rest, all the internal musculature of the foot; otherwise, we will have an immature foot, weak in muscle strength, which will resonate in our overall body structure,” explains Ana.
Since the surfaces in the city, mostly concrete, do not help, Ana conducted studies on foot behavior, surfaces, and materials to create a dynamic terrain inside a shoe that can be taken anywhere. By the end of her master's program, she had a prototype of the product, made artisanally, but still needed to conduct user tests to truly make her academic creation ready for sale. It was at this moment that a fundamental partnership with Senai Minas Gerais began.
Partnership beyond academia
To launch the product in the market, it was necessary to enable its manufacturing. The artisanal production of the shoe was unfeasible due to the time and costs involved. A call for proposals from Senai-MG provided Ana with the necessary tools to take the project off the ground. Through the partnership with Senai, the researcher obtained the resources to conduct user tests and to transform her prototype into an industrial product. “Senai developed the necessary machinery for the product to be manufactured. I had also conducted tests for toxicity, sweat absorption, and material behavior, but I needed user feedback. From the call for proposals, I was able to count on a team to conduct the tests in the UFMG laboratory,” recalls Ana Paula.
Several surprises arose during the testing period, which measured the perception of both mothers and babies. “What we found most interesting after the test was the child's perception of safety. When wearing the shoe, she gains more confidence in walking, goes down stairs, and runs with more ease,” highlights Ana Paula.
The researcher emphasizes that without the partnership with Senai, it would have been impossible to complete the project. “Without a partnership, I cannot make this transition from academia to the market; they are places with very different times and procedures. I need support to understand and adjust that research prototype to a consumer-oriented product. With more partnerships of this kind, we would have much more innovation,” believes Ana.
Now with the product tested and manufactured, Ana Paula is preparing to put the Noeh shoe up for sale in an online store and decide on the next steps. “We will see how the product is received to decide what to do next, whether to seek new partnerships or license the product,” she concludes.
