Man vs Machine: Who cleans your sneakers the best?
Recently I started working at WEAR Store in Rotterdam and these past few weeks have been anything but boring. Whereas in a conventional sneaker store, a customer comes in, browses the shelves and tries something on to then hopefully make a purchase, at WEAR this process looks a little different. An unassuming visitor comes in, walks towards the shelves and has a closer look. Upon closer inspection, you see some confusion starting to arise as the visitor looks up and starts to become aware of the fact that this is not your ordinary sneaker store. The sneakers that are sold are ‘pre-loved’, meaning that they have been worn and loved by someone before you. After thorough cleaning and replacement of laces and insoles, they are now ready for their next owner. Behind the counter, visitors are met with another unexpected sight. In an ‘open-kitchen’, sneakers from customers are being cleaned throughout the day.
For over a year, the guys at WEAR have been finetuning their cleaning process that is fully done by hand, but news broke last week that Nike has been working on something. Something big. A new robot called B.I.L.L., possibly an ode to one of Nike’s founders Bill Bowerman, was designed to make manual cleaning a thing of the past.
Man, vs Machine
B.I.L.L., short for ‘Bot Initiated Longevity Lab’, was installed last week in Nike Town London and lets customers clean their sneakers for free. The machine is somewhat reminiscent of a car wash, with all its rotating brushes and soap dispensers. A dirty sneaker is put onto a foot like shape and a 3d scan is made. This scan automatically identifies spots that could use some type of cleaning or repair. After a treatment is selected by the customer, the shoe moves through the different stations to be cleaned. To see how well the system works, B.I.L.L. is available to the public throughout the month of September. Afterwards, Nike will decide on a potential further roll out.
The idea of automating the entire cleaning process is very intriguing and definitely worth taking a closer look at to see how this could possibly make a shift in how sneakers are treated at scale. The benefits of such a system could lie in its consistency, speed and, most of all, its relatively low operating cost and scalability. Most of the sneakers that are cleaned currently are higher ticket items, but the majority of sneakers is sold for under a hundred euros. Therefore, a relatively low cost of cleaning service is very important to ensure widescale adoption. Likewise, scalability and consistency of the system are important challenges that manual cleaning still have to overcome, and this robotized approach might help us with that. A final feature of B.I.L.L. is that it can detect tears and provide patches made with recycled polyester for repairs. This could also open up possibilities for customization of used products.
Collaborated Future
However, the machine is not all the way there yet and has its own limitations compared to the service that WEAR is providing. First of all, Nike’s service for now is limited to cleaning of only four models: Nike’s Air Force 1, Jordan 1, Space Hippie 01 and Dunks. At WEAR, every type of sneaker from every brand is welcome. Furthermore, the great diversity of shapes, materials and constructions that can be found in sneakers require specific treatment that is thorough and yet delicate enough, which is still most easily achieved by hand. Another practicality that both manual and machine powered sneaker cleaning still haven’t solved yet is the removal of laces and insoles that also in B.I.L.L.’s case is still done manually by a store employee. This is a time-consuming action that makes the entire process significantly more complicated. This is also reflected in the price of service at WEAR, as removal of laces and more thorough cleaning will add another 10 euros to the price (from €29,99 to €39,99). Finally, WEAR does not only focus on the aspect of sustainability, but they also create positive social impact by training untapped labor potential and possibly creating a local community hub.
What else is possible?
Further looking into the story of B.I.L.L. and comparing it to my direct experience at WEAR leads me to new questions and ideas for the future. First of all, the 3d scanning technology that is used by Nike to assess where dirt on the sneaker is found is extremely interesting to me. Staying with the cleaning sector for now, I can imagine how this could make manual cleaning more efficient by assisting in the intake process. Currently, wear and tear assessment, management of expectations and selection of the right service program is time intensive and still requires in person meeting. The next step would be to automate this process and even make online intake possible. Additionally, the same tech could help with quality control to further improve quality consistency of the service that is provided.
If we go past the cleaning and into the sorting process of used sneakers, the 3d scanning technology might also be a solution to sorting sneakers based on how worn they are. The Circular Economy, as presented by the Ellen McArthur Foundation, shows different cycles that include product maintenance, reuse, refurbishment and recycling. In that order. Currently, we are starting to see the the first signs of competition for sneaker waste streams by refurbishment companies and recyclers. B.I.L.L.’s scanning technology might help with sending sneakers with the right conditions into the right stream and prevent sneakers that could still be cleaned and worn from going directly into the shredder to be recycled.
Finally, as an Industrial Design student, I am very interested in learning how sneaker designers of the future will take manual and robot product care into their design process. Concepts like laceless footwear and paying more attention to materialization, repairability, washability and personalization will be important to extend the lifetime of the products we design.
