At CES 2017 Digitsole shows off their latest shoes that have built in sensors to help you keep track of your stats. These aren’t the nicest looking shoes, but they have built in technology (via Digitsole)
Ever since Marty McFly rocked them in Back to the Future Part 2, people have been pining for tech savvy shoes. At CES last year, shoe company Digitsole showed its self-lacing sneakers, obviously inspired from the popular movie. With their latest footwear they’re going beyond shoelaces and building an entire smart shoe. Dubbed The Active Cushioning Run Profiler, the latest shoe comes equipped with a series of built-in sensors to help runners have a more ergonomic and intuitive running experience.
Still in its prototype phase, all the shoe’s smart hardware is built into the removable Run Profiler insole. The sensors have the ability to monitor pressure points along your foot. These help determine your “foot posture” in real time giving users the chance to look at stats for the stress, force and movement of their feet. There’s even a special feature that detects fatigue, making sure you don’t push yourself too far.
The current prototype of the soles comes with a built-in accelerometer that keeps track of basic stats, like speed, distance, calories and steps. You can see how well you’re doing via the companion Run Profiler app. Not only can you see your stats, there’s also a voice coaching feature that gives you advice and tips to improve your workout.
The Active Cushioning Run Profiler (doesn’t it roll off your tongue?) isn’t quite ready for purchase yet. The shoes are still in the prototype phase, but the company hopes to release them to the masses by the end of the year. They also want to combine their “adaptive cushioning” technology with the current Run Profiler insole in 2018.
The shoes are cool, but aren’t necessarily the most stylish. They’re pretty bland and ugly, but the tech they plan to incorporate is impressive. If these shoes are a success, maybe Digitsole will move on to make sleeker, cooler looking shoes.
Digitsole isn’t the only company looking to make smart shoes. A French company named Zhor-Tech showed off two pairs of smart high heel shoes at CES. The heels, which look simplistic and modest, come in two different models: a pair with heated insoles and another with an adjustable heel. Both models have the ability to track your activity and can be paired with an app that lets you control the temperature and height of the heels, which range from 1.7 inches to 3.1 inches.
The idea of high heel shoes you can adjust sounds like an amazing idea. Want to feel sexy? Give yourself an extra boost. Decide your feet are tired for the night? Make the adjustment and give yourself a break. Keep in mind, both heels need to be charged. While the adjustable pair are connected with a microUSB, while the heated pair charge wirelessly.
These shoes from Digitsole and Zhor-Tech are on the cusp of innovation, but if they really want to be successful, they’ll have to find a way to make the shoes look better. It doesn’t matter how many fancy tricks these shoes can do. If they’re ugly, people won’t be interested long.
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