A Running Shoe For Agent 86? 356
manganese4 writes "The New York Times (free reg. req.) is reporting on a new shoe from Adidas that contains a ~10KHz chip capable of changing the shoe's characteristics to meet the runner's need. From the article:
'Adidas executives say the shoe is no gadget-dependent gimmick... Each second, a sensor in the heel can take up to 20,000 readings and the embedded electronic brain can make 10,000 calculations, directing a tiny electric motor to change the shoe. The goal is to make the shoe adjust to changing conditions and the runner's particular style while in use. The shoes will have push-button controls, light-emitting diodes to display settings and an instruction manual on a CD-ROM that will advise wearers on, among other things, how to change the battery after every 100 hours of use.' I wonder if the CPU can be overclocked?"
Durability over Lifetime? (Score:5, Interesting)
Does anyone else thing it's a bad idea to throw these sorts of components into something that's going to take a few hundred thousand 100kg (or more depending on speed/weight/height) impacts?
Sport Legality? (Score:5, Interesting)
Human feet (Score:5, Interesting)
So bare feet are better than these new shoes.
A battery on a running shoe. Think about this... (Score:5, Interesting)
Funny maths? (Score:3, Interesting)
Assuming that is the clock rate, 20,000 readings and 10,000 calculations per second does sound a bit excessive, especcialy as the calculations must involve at least 2 readings.
Good for astroturf use (Score:5, Interesting)
Honestly, what's the point? If the goal is to change the shoe characteristics, why not include a little adjustable screw so the wearer can manually change various tensions? This sounds like a lousy solution in search of a problem, and a badly marketed one at that.
Sweet (Score:3, Interesting)
GPS? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Crazy runners... (Score:2, Interesting)
cough... Shoe-PU... cough
Re:Crazy runners... (Score:4, Interesting)
So there is market for it. It just depends on the price tag.
Every 100 hours of use? (Score:3, Interesting)
That's roughly every ten days. Can you imagine changing your shoe batteries every ten days? And I thought it was bad changing my mouse batteries every four months...
-JemRe:motor? (Score:3, Interesting)
Running barefoot (Score:5, Interesting)
One importaint peice of feedback you get, is to NOT LAND ON YOUR HEELS. Your legs and feet are not designed for you land on your heels ( but shoe companys and podaitrists would like you to think so ). Instead, bare feet teaches you to land on the your forefoot ( eg, the area around the balls of your feet, just behind your toes ).
A forefoot strike has advantages over a heel strike, In breif;
Much less chance of injury ( eg shin splints, runners knee, etc ). However, during the first two weeks of learning to run with a proper forefoot strike style, I had sore calf musles. This was the 'numb, lactic acid, ive done more than I am used to' type soreness. This is something your calfs get used to quickly, just like how your biceps grow if you do bicep curls. The main reason for less inury is because the energy absorbed from each foot landing is stored/absorbed into muscles, rather than being driven up thru your bones and joints ( eg, ankle, knee, hip, and back ) as the case with heel strikes.
It stores energy form the landing, and releases it as your body moves over your foot plant.
It allows you to run with minimal vertial motion in the torso area, if your knees are bent when your foot touches the ground. As the body goes over the footplant, the leg straigtens, which keeps the torso in the same vertial position.
And as a result, you end up running very efficently. One obvious thing about running properly ( with a forefoot strike ) is that you become very very quiet, eg, almost completely silent in the feet department, quite the opposite of the comparitive racket most runners make with the enourmous heel striking boots.
Anyway, I think that the best running shoe is one which is simply like a protective layer of skin over your foot, IE, as close to running in bare feet as possible.
And the best way to run is in bare feet, but in rare cases ( or when your just starting out ), bare feet is not always practical ( eg, sharp gravel, areas that are likely to have hidden sharp things ), but 80% of places I find I can run barefoot with no problems.
If you have injurys / problems with running, then perhaps have a look at www.runningbarefoot.org or www.posetech.com, and learn how to run properly ( with a forefoot strike style ), and do not rely on shoes to do the running for you.
Re:Durability over Lifetime? (Score:3, Interesting)
Actually I'd be worried about how to wash them? I wash my running shoes with bleach every few months ... kills the bacteria
Industry and University Sr. Design Proj. Ideas (Score:3, Interesting)
100 hours battery life, the device can be modified to use kinetic engery. This would make for a nice senior design project in affective wearables. Any profs taking this project up?
GPS Tracking - Keep track of the user as they work out. Using RF to a cell phone the user is wearing, the data can be sent back to a base terminal as the cell phones cache is filled up. This could be especially useful for elderly wearers, so that their wearabouts can be tracked, and monitored by family members. If the family member stays in place for two long, emergency personal are notified, to alert of a possible fall. It could also be helpful to track children where abouts. Ethical issues are another debate.
Sensor technology - not only track foot position, but use the shoe to track Blood Volume Pressure (Oxygen levels and blood pressure) as well as pulse, and skin conductance. Sensors could be easily developed to be placed around the toes and or on the bottom of the foot, as the foot is slipped into the shoe.
Using heads up display technology or just simple voice from the cell phone again, the shoe could give feedback to the wearer as the runner is working out. It could track the workout and give progress updates. Custom programs can be added.
Make the shoe a power source for other wearable devices. It could be a convienent power source for other affective wearables and on board computing devices. All you would need to do is come out with a line of clothing that has simple fashionable connectors that would connect to the shoe to a pair of pants and or shirt so that other devices could be easily added. To allow for fast adoption, allow other manufactuers and universities to make devices for the clothing line. Give money to Sr. Design research projects that can produce wearable sensors to be used and later marketed.
The shoe, being in contact with the ground, can be used as a input / output device. When used in a car, it could direclty interface into the car, to provide the car with sensor data about the user. This could be accomplished with RF, but this is another posibility. It could give the user also other feedback about the car state, including any warnings through changing the shoes conformaty or shape, or provide a vibration. It could be easily used to keep a driver awake if he or she started to fall asleep at the wheel.
It can be used as another form of authentication. Using RF, the shoe can be used as a way of identifying the wearer based on walking styles and patterns of movement. Afater a series of steps, the user can be considered authenticated, and then can procede to move around a building with out using an ID card for entry, but instead, the shoe will transmit the user identity. Cars security, computer security, etc.
It can be used in hospitals as a tracking system for patients, nurses and doctors. It can be especially useful for ER nurses, for they are on their feet alot; so if it could detect stress in wearers legs, it could advise them to sit down and take a break. I know ER nurses can suffer from being on concrete floors for too long. This shoe can be a great help. My aunt could have used this.
This shoe though would pose a problem for airport security....have the manufactures thought about this, especially when it becomes more common place...
Keeping track of little kids is big problem for class field trips. This could be used to help enforce the buddy system. If uniforms were a must at school, these could be part of them.
If hte shoes could provide enough curent, they could be used as a light source, so that when ladies are trying to get to their cars at night, they could use the shoes as a way to light their way. If modules like these were provided for the shoes, the sales could take off quickly.
Have programs that can be used to help correct technique in sporting events. Baseball, basketball, soccer, Make a
Re:Sport Legality? (Score:3, Interesting)