Isn’t this how horror movies start? A London-based designer and researcher named Shamees Aden has come up with a concept design for running shoes that are composed of organic material called protocells.

Protocells are a form of organic matter that isn’t alive, as such, but can be combined into living organisms. As reported by Dezeen, the protocol (read: basically alive) shoes would be 3D printed for an individual user, fitting them exactly.

As to the benefits of wearing shoes that would suit a Marvel Comics super villain, Aden explained at the Wearable Futures conference in London recently that “The cells have the capability to inflate and deflate and to respond to pressure. As you’re running on different grounds and textures it’s able to inflate or deflate depending on the pressure you put onto it and could help support you as a runner.”

Before tossing out your Nikes for something a little more scientific though, keep in mind that an actual working product is still some way off. Even when they become available, which is estimated at some time around 2050, users will have to treat the shoes after each use by leaving them in a protocell liquid so that they can “recharge”, much like taking care of a pot plant.

Source: The Verge