The Times’ Circuits section accidentally reports about something interesting this morning when they talk about the development of the new ‘Adidas 1’ self-adapting running shoe. Although the article is too busy getting quotes from Rob Enderle to actually break down what exactly the shoes do to adapt, I was able to triangulate that an internal sensor is connected to a 20-megahertz microprocessor inside each shoe which takes a series of readings, adjusting the amount of cushioning to the environment and foot-position. No one cares about that, though, because the Adidas 1 has shiny LEDs and a computer inside of it, and that will guarantee it at least some degree of success, even though they are a $250 pair of shoes that require a fresh set of batteries every 100 hours. (Thanks, Andrew!)
Read [NYTimes (Registration Required)]
Update: Technovelgy reminds us that the Adidas 1 isn’t the first shoe to have an onboard computer. That honor goes to VectraSense’s Raven ThinkShoe, which will probably get wide distribution before Adidas’s model. However, until one of these shoes makes the Steve Austin shutuhtuhtuhtuh sound when I run, they’ll have to find another customer.
Read [Technovelgy]
