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Footwear

Sep28

Adidas F50 adiZero miCoach soccer cleats are cooler than Pele

By: lawrence

You know what sucks about most soccer cleats? They are dumb as dirt. Not so anymore. Adidas has perfected their first pair of “intelligent” cleats. They are dubbing them the F50 adiZeros and they just might change how you think about soccer footwear. This, of course, won’t matter to Americans since we don’t play soccer. Oh well.

These cleats are powered by the miCoach power cell, which means access to all sorts of tech goodies. The chip records your speed, sprint times, distance, step and stride rates, stores it for up to seven hours and squeezes it over WiFi or USB to the device of your choice. Of course, you can share all of this information with the social network of your choice. It is 2011, after all.

A pair of these ..read more

Posted in: Adidas, Footwear, Vitals Monitoring0 comments

Aug26

InStep NanoPower Electrowetted insoles are out of this world

By: lawrence

There is footwear, and then there is footwear. Researchers at InStep NanoPower are trying to some wind beneath your sails with their new electrowetted insoles. Wait, what is that? It’s cutting edge technology that takes the energy produced via your steps and turns it into energy you can use on other stuff.

This means powering your many gadgets just by the steps you were going to be taking anyways. Cool right? Once this technology is firmly in place it could mean we no longer have to constantly plug in our iPhones, portable gaming machines, mp3 players and all of our other favorites.

Of course, this is a new and untested technology. It is just in the concept stages for now but who knows, maybe one day putting your best foot forward could ..read more

Posted in: Concept Design, Footwear, Instep Nanopower0 comments

Jun21

Piezoelectric devices may make endless energy a reality

By: lawrence

Piezoelectric energy may just be the future salvation we’ve all been waiting for. Let’s face it. Fossil fuels are becoming a, well, nuisance. Plus, have you seen gas prices lately? Yowza!

Piezoelectric devices basically use a thin film coating to extract energy from motion, sound and other natural sources. Notice the shoe concept design above. On paper, these shoes are a wonder. Every step you take, you generate a finite amount of energy. If you walk a lot, you have a lot of energy. All derived from the humble foot. Not bad, right?

Of course, the technology is in its infancy, but there are already some interesting uses out there. As the energy crisis deepens, look for even more varied uses of the tech. Here’s to endless energy.

Posted in: Footwear, Technologies0 comments

Jun12

Xsens ForceShoe makes it easier to walk

By: lawrence

Sure there is some cool footwear out there. None, however, may be as tech-filled as this the new ForceShoe from Xsens. These shoes use an array of 6DoF force sensors and magnetic trackers to study and analyze your gait. Then the data is all sent wirelessly to a center where further analysis is completed. If you ever wondered “Gee, am I walking right?” then this is the shoe for you.

It was developed at University of Twente and was primarily designed for physio patients. Still, it’s not a bad little gadget for runners and walkers. These nifty sandals aren’t on sale yet but you can secure yourself a pair if you happen to, oh, conduct important research. Get right on that.

Posted in: Footwear, Xsens0 comments

Apr5

Figtree Factory Studios OneMoment biodegradable shoes – Break down in just six months

By: lawrence

Figtree Factory Studios are going way old-school with their new OneMoment shoes. The interesting footwear is patterned off of the shoes worn by indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest. They break down in six months. There is no more retro than that.

How do they work? The skintight slip-on is ergonomic, ventilated, and ultra-compact. It offers a good form fit for running, actually. The entire thing is made from 100 percent biodegradable plant-based plastic. So no worries on the carbon footprint tip.

They will fall apart in six months. Don’t worry. They are designed that way. What’s better? A pair only costs around $12. That’s $24 a year for you mathematical types. So take the plunge. The earth will thank you, uh, if it could talk.

Posted in: Figtree Factory Studios, Footwear0 comments

Nov29

Foki vacuum shoes as designed by Adika Titut Triyugo

By: lawrence

So you want to vacuum your house just by walking around. Foki and their vacuum shoes have got you covered. These robotic bad boys were designed by Adika Titut Triyugo and promise to use the power of your step to get your living area as fresh as a clean daisy.

They include a LED display on top that indicates how much dirt you’ve picked up, and a unique deign that allows them to be completely folded up when not in use. The bad news? It’s just a concept for now. There are no units you can get your grubby piggies inside of. The company promises they will be for sale someday, though. Until then we’ll all have to make due with some other pairs of neat shoes.

Posted in: Concept Design, Footwear, Intelligent Clothes, Other Products, Wearable Tech0 comments

Nov3

Columbia Omni-Heat Electric gloves, jackets and books come with batteries

By: lawrence

Columbia is entered the crowded heated clothing arena with their Omni-Heat line of Electric heated clothing items. This line is notable for filling the clothing with lithium polymer battery packs and a specially tailored heating system. This system, codenamed “On demand” heating lets you turn the heat on and off with the push of a button. You can also adjust the heating level with the very same button.

These items come with rechargeable batteries, which is cool. They work via a USB charger which is extra handy. A rep from the company says that the batteries work for around six hours on a single charge, which is plenty for a daily commute. You lumber gatherers may be in trouble though.

Of course, all of this fancy tech doesn’t come cheap.  The jacket clocks in ..read more

Posted in: Columbia, Footwear, Gloves, Heated Boots, Heated Gloves, Heated Jackets, Jacket0 comments

Aug26

Nike Air Max teams up with Wii Balance Board

By: lawrence

The Nike Air Max are a hell of a tennis shoe, aren’t they? You know what would make them even more awesome, though? If they controlled the suite of games and programs that come packed in with the Wii Balance Board.

Well, thanks to this mod, they do just that. Now instead of standing atop that rickety old board, you can stand atop your rickety own two feet. Designer Nick Marsh is to thank for the concept, who came up with it as part of a contest held by Nike.

According to Nick, games are played exactly as they would have been previously, but since you can’t step of the board, you’re required to lift your foot or sit down when you need to back off on the pressure. Wanna see it ..read more

Posted in: Concept Design, Footwear, Nike, Wearable Tech0 comments

Aug25

Nike files patent for auto-lacing sneakers

By: lawrence

We all know Nike has long jumped headfirst into the wearable tech market. It comes as no surprise to followers of the company, then, that they have recently filed a patent for auto-lacing sneakers. Hear that? That’s Marty McFly’s mind being blown.

The patents were filed all throughout 2009 and show off a rather unique show off an automatic lacing system. The shoes appear to feature a charging system and lights in addition to the lacing component. Not all patents make it to the marketplace so let’s all put our heads together send Nike positive vibes to make this happen. I mean, auto-lacing sneakers?! That’s just cool.

Posted in: Concept Design, Footwear, Nike0 comments

Jun5

Nike Power Laces auto-lacing sneaker is a DIY project straight from the future

By: lawrence

There are cool shoes, and then there are cool shoes. These concept kicks from an enterprising DIY tech enthusiast bring the future back to the present. They are called Power Laces and they do what it sounds like. They lace themselves.

It works via a force sensor that reads how much pressure is on your foot and makes lace adjustments accordingly. There’s also a switch to loosen the laces, via two attached servos. Wanna a see a video of the sneakers in action? Click here.

Posted in: Concept Design, DIY - Corner, Footwear, Nike0 comments

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