Experience the interview live on YouTube or follow along with the complete transcript here. Find out what makes good cushioning in barefoot shoes!
INTERVIEW BETWEEN DR. CLAUDIA SCHULZ AND CHRISTOF BÄR:
Dr. Claudia Schulz: I see a very special material here. Perhaps you could explain exactly what it is. At first glance, it looks like a piece of plastic to me, but that can't be the case.
Christof Bär: No, there has been a great deal of development behind it. This is a material that we have already used on a trial basis, with good results. It was developed for medical technology and is used to replace intervertebral discs. So it has the same properties as the body's own intervertebral discs, and next year we will use the material for a product in the hiking sector. For a shoe that is subject to heavy use and prolonged strain, you naturally want to maintain ground contact in the barefoot sector, apart from the thin sole. That means we cannot insert something thick that cushions and reduces ground contact, but rather something that creates cushioning—like this material, which is only 2 mm thick—while still behaving like the human body, even in warm conditions and under strain. In other words, once it has been broken in and warmed slightly by body heat, it becomes more flexible. This material therefore becomes more flexible, while the cushioning provided by this small, thin layer is still sufficient to distribute pressure in the way the body needs, for example when walking downhill.
Dr. Claudia Schulz: And this exact material is incorporated into the sole?
Christof Bär: That's right, it is incorporated into the sole and you don't feel it, but it still provides protection against objects penetrating the sole—which can certainly be useful when stepping on a stone. The key point, however, is that this thin layer can create cushioning without springing back. Spring-back also puts strain on the joints, but only to the extent that the body itself would. So there is cushioning and a reaction, but in the same way the body itself would act.
Dr. Claudia Schulz: And this is a new material that will be used in BÄR hiking shoes next year?
Christof Bär: Yes. It is a somewhat more expensive material developed for medical technology, which is why we are using it exclusively in one product in the hiking shoe sector. We believe that this can provide additional benefits to people with high expectations.
Dr. Claudia Schulz: Exactly, especially since hiking is very popular at the moment. People enjoy being outdoors in nature, which of course also fits very well with the BÄR concept. We have already talked a lot about going barefoot and about orthopedic ways to relieve strain on the back. These are all issues that concern many people. People are living longer and longer, and physical problems are becoming increasingly common. I don't really want to say that you see yourselves as problem solvers; rather, I would describe your shoes as a supportive measure, in the sense that BÄR shoes simply allow people to walk better and perhaps with greater enjoyment.
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