Maggie Bridges, Miss Georgia, will participate in the beauty parade wearing a new style of footwear made by her school Georgia Tech. Bridges will be wearing them for the stage competition called “Show Us Your Shoes”.

Footwear was designed by Maren Sonne, Jordan Thomas and Julia Brooks from Georgia Tech. They took design guidance from Dr. Wayne Li, professor of industrial design, to create the shoes. The design is based on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket mascot, the Ramblin Wreck, a 1930 Ford Model A Sport coupe. To create the shoes, students used a variety of high tech manufacturing tools, which included 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines. They have 3D printed all the wheels, the acrylic for the white walls, and the four headlights on the pair of shoes.

3D printing has been on the spotlight in the recent years, and is seen as a relatively inexpensive way to produce common household objects independent of corporations. The creation of 3D printed objects involves a precise 3D plan on a connected computer, and sometimes plans are sold by manufacturers for a fee. The materials are usually suggested in the plans themselves and often involve plastics, being easier to mold than other materials.