



Nike x PCH Innovations
Helping Nike sneakers stay fresh the extra mile
A no-nonsense, urban, sneaker-cleaning machine.
In 2022 we unveiled B.I.L.L., a friendly robotic array that could rejuvenate well-worn Nikes. As well as artfully cleaning and patching hundreds of sneakers, it got people talking about circularity. Today, we’re pleased to introduce the next iteration: the REFRESH machine, a compact, automated sneaker-cleaning station that gets straight down to business.
Building on B.I.L.L.
Where its predecessor was conceived as much as a spectacle as a service, the Nike REFRESH machine was engineered for robustness, throughput and scalability. Our creative process started by extracting and iterating on the key technical modules from B.I.L.L. and finding ways of applying our optimal brushing-motions, soap management and drying techniques to sneakers in half the space – and in half the time.


Conscious Uncoupling
In order to create a leaner system that could be moved, expanded and reconfigured according to the space, a fundamental part of our task was to modularize. By dividing the process into distinct cleaning and drying units, we could get one pair of sneakers washed while another was drying, shaving crucial minutes off the service duration. Bada bing, bada boom.
A Car-Wash for Sneakers
With the defined physical and performance constraints, we set about refining our cleaning sequence to accommodate the broadest possible range of Nike models and sizes. The end result was a linear cleaning journey, where a pair of sneakers could be mounted on adaptive lasts and sent through an array of custom-made, retractable brushes for a full-body soap, wash and scrub before returning to their starting positions.

Drying Micro-Module
Compact, simple and stackable, the REFRESH drying module was conceived with flexibility in mind. In order to minimize footprint without compromising usability, the sneaker lasts are mounted onto the doors and the electrical unit engineered to fit into a slim side panel fronted with frosted acrylic. Every sneaker, like its wearer, is unique, with its own needs and drying times. With three available settings, the operators are now able to adjust the heat intensity according to the sneaker material, size and degree of wetness.



Programmed to scale
Optimal functionality is always our engineering baseline, but as well as smooth operation, we also wanted to ensure the machine was engineered for simple assembly, disassembly, maintenance and replication. From colour-coded cabling to part standardisation and access points – the REFRESH machine was built to be built again and again.


So Berlin
Set within a rectangular, hard-working stainless steel and acrylic enclosure with utilitarian fixtures – the REFRESH cleaning unit's form was designed to follow a very specific function, while still paying homage to the urban aesthetic of its Berlin beginnings. Transparent panes on the upper half of the cleaning unit allow people to be able to watch their sneakers' REFRESH journey from sole to upper. For the lower half of the unit, we used frosted clear acrylic panes to give a subtle hint of the industrial anatomy of the machine without adding too much visual noise.
Easy Operation
As the REFRESH machine was launched as an in-store station, we knew it would be operated by a rotating shift of Nike retail employees. To streamline future onboarding processes, we opted for a web-based app that could be operated easily and flexibly on a designated iPad. Drawing from the Nike REFRESH identity elements, we then reduced the operator dashboard down to fundamental actions and monitoring data to create an interface that could be used and understood intuitively, without extensive training.

Ready for Retail
For its inaugural reveal, the cleaning and drying units were set up in central Berlin at Nike's Kudamm store. With some shiny branding applied by our friends at Metrofarm, the machine was braced to receive everything from the grassy post-football Mercurials to grimy post-clubbing Air Force 1s.
Notable Features
As well as integrating modules developed during our previous sneaker-cleaning project, we combined, refined and streamlined several technologies to bring REFRESH to life.
Find out more
The Refresh project forms part of our broader work to fundamentally rethink manufacturing flows, using technology to localize value chains, enable rapid material innovation, product life extension, and recycling. Here you can check out B.I.L.L., our robotic system that extends the lifecycle of sneakers, also in collaboration with Nike.
To find out more about our other circular manufacturing offerings get in touch with Dev Mishra.