Investigating Foot Morphology in Rock Climbing Mammals: Inspiration for Biomimetic Climbing Shoes

The sporting goods sector can serve as a proving ground for new technologies. We propose that climbing shoes are an excellent case study for showcasing a systematic approach to bio-inspired design. Foot adaptations to climbing have been described before in some animals and have even been incorporated into bio-inspired products. However, there has not yet been a systematic description of climbing adaptations in mammals, and especially in rock climbing species. We present a description of foot morphology in mammals and compare rock climbing species to those with other locomotion types. Our results show that rock climbing species in our sample had fewer digits and larger anterior pads than arboreal species. Rock climbing species often had hooves or, if they had foot pads, these were relatively smooth. These examples look a bit like current climbing shoe designs, perhaps suggesting convergent evolution. However, there was also variation, with rock climbing species having pads varying in shape, placement and texture. Much of this variation is likely to be dependent on the relatedness of species, with those that are more related having more similar feet. We suggest that incorporation of novel textures and compliant pads might be an interesting focus for future climbing shoe designs.