ShanghaiJune 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On June 16, 2026, at the “ANTA Folding Technology Launch Event and Folded Space Physics Class” held at the Shanghai Innovation and Creative Design Research Institute, ANTA officially unveiled another milestone breakthrough in the field of sports science — “ANTA Folding Technology (ANTA FOLD).” While the running shoe industry continues to iterate on material performance, ANTA has sought a new cushioning solution from structural design itself, combining traditional origami wisdom with modern engineering mechanics to create a quantifiable “structural engineering philosophy.”
From Material Innovation to Structural Innovation: ANTA Explores a New Path for Cushioning
As a collaborative project led by the ANTA Innovation Laboratory, in partnership with a transnational team of professors including Professor Zhong You from the University of Oxford, Professor Yan Chen from Tianjin University, and Professor Guanyun Wang from Zhejiang University, ANTA’s “Folding Technology” has achieved a breakthrough in the “structural cushioning” system. It does not rely on material softness or hardness but instead uses precision-folded geometric units to achieve “progressive collapse energy absorption + energy rebound,” opening a new category of structural cushioning for ANTA through a visual structural language.
As Mr. Zheng Fei, Vice President of ANTA Footwear Products, stated at the ANTA Folding Technology Launch Event, “We have used the wisdom of origami to reconstruct the science of movement. By breaking through with structure and reshaping new possibilities for dynamic structures with origami thinking.”
ANTA Folding Technology Launch Event and Folded Space Physics Class
The inspiration for ANTA Folding Technology comes from the traditional art of origami. Traditional origami features “structural diversity, aesthetic diversity, and mechanical diversity,” allowing a two-dimensional plane to be transformed into a three-dimensional form through folding. ANTA’s innovation team applied this principle to the midsole of running shoes, using precision-folded geometric units to achieve “origami structure — visible cushioning.”
Based on the ANTA Folding Technology platform, ANTA has created a folding technology matrix covering diverse running needs through different folding configuration designs. The matrix currently includes three major product directions: H1, Z1, and M1, corresponding to stability, rolling, and energy absorption in different scenarios.
Among them, the debut ANTA Folding H1 running shoe features a Waterbomb negative Poisson’s ratio configuration, with “dynamic cushioning” as its core characteristic. Fourteen negative Poisson’s ratio structural units precisely match the pressure changes on the sole during landing, actively contracting and locking to enhance stability and support, and quickly releasing energy during push-off to achieve a dynamic balance between cushioning and support, providing a more solid and reassuring experience for daily commuting and urban jogging.
In the future, the Z1, equipped with a Square-Twist configuration, will focus on a smooth rolling experience, while the M1, using a Multi-Layer folding configuration, will further enhance energy storage and rebound, meeting the diverse needs of runners at different levels.
ANTA Folding H1
From Lab to Classroom: ANTA Explains Folding Technology Through a Public Class
Faced with an innovative technology rooted in cutting-edge scientific research, ANTA chose not to adopt a traditional technical explanation approach but instead creatively turned the launch event into a “Folded Space Physics Class.” Special guest professors Professor Zhong You from the University of Oxford and Professor Yan Chen from Tianjin University gave on-site lectures. During the class, Professor Yan Chen from Tianjin University started with the origins of origami art and introduced its cutting-edge applications in various fields; Professor Zhong You from the University of Oxford specifically interpreted the collaborative research and development project of ANTA’s “Folding Technology.” Additionally, Hao Jingfang, author of “Folding Beijing,” popular tech blogger “Hello, Mr. He,” Wang Xin, author of “The Unideal Wife,” origami artist Liu Tong, Professor Guanyun Wang from Zhejiang University, and Cheng Yang, General Manager of ANTA Running, jointly participated in a roundtable discussion, exploring the multiple values of folding in technology, culture, and daily life around the theme “Folded Space, Dynamic Cushioning.”
ANTA Folding Technology Launch Event – Roundtable Forum
Notably, origami artist Liu Tong also created a large-scale art installation for the event and co-hosted a hands-on workshop with the professors, allowing participants to fold paper themselves and personally experience how “a single sheet of paper” can bear immense force.
ANTA Folding Technology Exhibition and Workshop
Earlier, on June 13, ANTA held a pre-launch event for the ANTA Folding H1 at its flagship store in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Runners wearing the ANTA Folding H1 engaged in creative photo shoots around Beverly Hills, integrating Chinese structural wisdom into the avant-garde urban fabric of the West, successfully validating its aesthetic appeal among elite circles.
ANTA Folding H1 Los Angeles Experience Event
From business travel to urban commuting to elite socializing, ANTA Folding Technology is committed to becoming the “invisible gear” and “mobile business card” for middle-class elites.
“Materials determine the lower limit of the midsole, while structure determines its upper limit.” ANTA has creatively demonstrated how folding can unlock infinite possibilities in sports technology. The launch of “ANTA Folding Technology” marks a new era for the brand, transitioning from “single-material R&D” to “systematic structural innovation.” In the future, ANTA will continue to leverage the wisdom of structure to provide smarter and more efficient sports solutions for athletes worldwide.