Lechal shoes will be offering Bluetooth-enabled smart footwear that pair with an app your phones connected to Google Maps. The Indian company is calling the smartshoes interactive haptic footwear. Some atuomotive journalists suggest that the technology my be used to enhance directions for motorcyclists and even cars.
Directions will come not from Siri but from tingles in your toes with either the left and right shoes to vibrate, telling you to turn. There are red or black shoes that look like elf dance shoes and black Bluetooth-enabled insoles, you can put in your own shoes or sneakers.
Joggers, mountain bikers or even tourists can enter their destinations and not have to stop to check their phones as they move because heir shoes will let them know when to turn.
In an introductory YouTube video a girl jogger and guy biker send each other haptic footsies to find each other at a romantic restaurant.
The shoes can log fitness walking miles, let you know if you leave your phone behind or help those who are blind or visionally challenged.
The shoes may also vibrate for motorcyclists to let them know when to turn. Motorcyclists can’t hear their smartphones at all. Car enthusiasts are suggesting that they can used to navigate a driver to wake up when drowsy or when to brake or put the pedal on the gas when there is traffic.
The Lechal shoes or insoles have to docked to a USB charger to charge the Lithium ion batteries. The devices will be available in the fall.
We think there are more possibilities, such as insoles in ice skates or skis to give a competitive edge. Lechal could build in a thermometer to warn of frost bite. A sensor could alert Cinderella that Prince Charming is nearby or how to get home when the pumpkin coach turns back into a pumpkin.
Sizes start at US 6 or 37 European, which means this author with my Cinderalla size 35’s will never get to pair my pair with Bluetooth and haptic directions or Prince Charming finding.