Tech Innovation Over the Years | ASICS

Over the years, ASICS has become a leading force in the sports world, creating innovative products to help empower athletes of all skill levels. It started in 1949 when ASICS founder Kihachiro Onitsuka was inspired to help Japan’s youth better their future by creating a line of sports footwear. At the time, there were no suitable athletic shoes available to them.

Mr. Onitsuka’s company was originally called Onitsuka Co. Ltd., but today, it’s known as ASICS. Following the philosophy of “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body”, the company continues to create high quality lifestyle products through innovation and technology.

ASICS’ early technological innovations

ASICS products are always evolving. Its product evolution started in 1960 with the launch of the MAGIC RUNNER™ running marathon shoe. The MAGIC RUNNER™ was created with an air venting system that helps decrease the chance of blisters, aiding marathon runners across the globe.

Onitsuka used research and development to fuel all of ASICS’ innovations. In 1953, the company launched the MARUP running shoe. The MARUP shoe’s uppers were made of vinylon, a high-strength material.

Onitsuka later enhanced the synthetic material for multi-use wear and adopted the synthetic material for strengthening the function of sports shoes. Around the same time, the Mexico Line was introduced following an in-house design competition. This is where the ASICS stripe design originated.

Innovation through the Institute of Sport Science

ASICS’ Institute of Sport Science was founded in Kobe, Japan in 1985 by merging the company’s Technology Research Department of the Shoes and Apparel with the move to the present head office. In 1990, it completed a research facility with a human resources development center in West-Kobe and named it “ASICS Research Institute of Sports Science and Human Resources Development Center”. After that, the name was changed to "ASICS R&D center", and finally changed to "Institute of Sport Science" in 2006.

Raising sports performance through technology

With the help of research, ASICS has designed high-performance technology to support everyone from beginners to elite athletes. For example, GEL™ technology located in the rearfoot of ASICS running shoes provides shock absorption to help reduce the load placed on the foot. In the mid-80s, shoes containing ASICS’ GEL™ technology grew in popularity, and has since been a staple design for the company.

FLYTEFOAM™ is lower in density and lighter than the standard foam (EVA) used in footwear. This material enhances the run speed while also providing the shoe's cushioning. The METARIDE™ model is a great example of running shoes featuring both of these technologies.

The innovation of GEL™ technology

GEL™ technology has continued to evolve since its 1986 debut. This technology was originally created from silicone and sealed in resin. The following year, the GEL-LYTE™ shoe was released.

The innovation of FLYTEFOAM™ technology

FLYTEFOAM™ technology is used in a variety of ASICS products. Examples of shoes that incorporate this technology include the NOVABLAST™ 2 with FLYTEFOAM™ Blast, the GEL-NIMBUS™ 24 with FLYTEFOAM™ Blast Plus, and the METASPEED™ with FLYTEFOAM™ Blast Turbo.

GEL-NIMBUS™ 24

ASICS presents the GEL-NIMBUS™ 24 running shoe’s design by combining both GEL™ technology and FLYTEFOAM™ technology for superior comfort.

The METASPEED™

One of ASICS’ most important technological innovations in the past 70 years is the METASPEED™ running shoe line. The METASPEED™ Sky and METASPEED™ Edge models both feature FLYTEFOAM™ Blast Turbo technology, which provides a comfortable and responsive feel for cadence style runners.

ASICS Innovation Summit

From the start, ASICS has consistently used research and development to create new technologies for its shoes, keeping runners’ comfort, stride and experience in mind. These innovations continue to push athletics to a whole new level.

ASICS President and Chief Operating Officer, Yasuhito Hirota, began the company’s 2020 Innovation Summit with the launch of the METARACER™ , METARIDE™ and METASPRINT ™ running shoes.

During the 2021 Innovation Summit, ASICS released two of its latest running shoe models: the METASPEED™ Sky and the METASPEED™ Edge .