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A Running Shoe For Agent 86?
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?"
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Tell me about it. Here's all the detailed info on what it actually does, straight out of the article:
alters its physical properties
would change to your different needs
change
adjust
changes its characteristics
adapts its cushioning
Hmmm so wtf does it actually do?? Looks like the same thing the pump does but without the pump.
These high-tech shoes seem like something that would appeal more to the wannabes. It's their money, so...
People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
Here's another interesting site regarding barefoot running/marathoning.
People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
May 6, 2004
The Bionic Running Shoe
By MICHEL MARRIOTT
ORTLAND, Ore.
SHOES have long been sensible. Now some are getting smart.
Smart enough, that is, to sense their environment electronically, calculate how best to perform in it, and then instantly alter their physical properties to adapt to that environment. In short, the designers say, shoes that can do whatever is needed to deliver improved athletic performance or just a better experience in the ancient poetry of feet striking the earth.
"The whole concept of an intelligent shoe would be great," said Christian DiBenedetto, a scientist here at the North American headquarters of Adidas. "Something that would change to your different needs during a marathon, or whatever you were doing, was always the fantasy."
Adidas, the 83-year-old German sporting-goods maker, is about to turn that fantasy into biomechanical reality in the form of a running shoe for men and women. Sleek and lightweight despite its battery-powered sensor, microprocessor and electric motor, the shoe, named 1, is expected to be in stores by December and will cost $250.
Adidas executives say the shoe is no gadget-dependent gimmick. Instead, its designers say it represents a leap forward in wearable technology. 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.
"What we have, basically, is the first footwear product that can change its characteristics in real time," said Mr. DiBenedetto, who led the group that created the shoe, of its ability to adapt its cushioning as the wearer runs.
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.
Of all items of clothing, said Rob Enderle, a principal analyst for the Enderle Group in San Jose, Calif., the shoe is a logical one to be a focus of wearable technology. Unlike articles of clothing that must be washed or cleaned, shoes present a more stable place to add useful electronics, he said.
High-performance shoes, particularly those intended for athletic use, he said, have been augmented with an array of biomechanical enhancements, most of them involving compressed gases, shock absorbers and springs. But until now, he said, "I don't recall electronics being applied in shoes other than for lights."
From the start of development in early 2001, the shoe was viewed as an opportunity for Adidas to innovate, said Steve Vincent, who leads the company's worldwide innovation team of about 50 people. Mr. DiBenedetto's group is one of seven in Germany, Italy and the United States that work in such secrecy that the units' names are not mentioned to outsiders. To do otherwise, Mr. Vincent said from his corner office overlooking the Willamette River, "would just give away the farm."
In the hypercompetitive sporting-goods industry, of which the $15 billion sneaker market is only a part, innovation is seen more and more as a great differentiator. And while other companies, like Nike in nearby Beaverton, Ore., have made a name for themselves with new products, Mr. Vincent acknowledged that Adidas had not established a firm reputation as an innovator in the American market.
"We look at innovation as the fuel for our company," he said. "We are committed to deliver at least one new impactful technology or innovation every year."
Among the first of those products was ClimaCool, a line of athletic shoes and garments introduced in 2002 that use sophisticated materials and strategically placed venting to relieve the wearer's heat and perspiration. Others include a soccer ball that is bonded rather than hand-sewn for better durability and truer flight, and a shoe engine
And do they adjust by giving you more support under the arch of your foot, or increasing the 'suspension' under your heel? You might adjust the way you plant your foot down, but you cant dynamically physically change the support around your foot.
I.O.U One Sig.
Any shoe that's not a perfect device is taking power from your stride, compressing and expanding the rubber etc.
The only issue is whether you can get some electricity, rather than just heat, from this work. And not increase the total work in a way that would be noticed.
There were some projects to make battery chargers in shoes I recall, but they couldn't actually get as much power as they had hoped from pezio. Springs probably would be noticed.
Has it been over a year since you last donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation
It's not x86 processors the title is referring to. Agent 86 was Maxwell Smart (played by Don Adams) in the '60s TV series "Get Smart."
You know, ther guy with the phone in his shoe?
Most runners don't get 100 hours out of their shoes. I'm a slow runner and I do just over 10 km/hr... that would mean running over 1,000 km on them. Faster runners would get closer to 2,000 km. That's really really unrealistic. I got just over 700 km out of my last pair of shoes before my IT bands started getting sore at the hips on anything over 8 km (10 milers became murderous). Mind you, runners who aren't trying to increase their mileage can often get more out of them, but not that much that changing batteries is going to become a pain. Somebody preparing for a half marathon on 40-60 km/week is going to get 3 months use out of them, and still not hit 100 hours.
Well, ofcourse the human foot wasn't designed for wearing shoes. Then again, it wasn't designed for running on asphalt or concrete either, but rather for softer cross-country type surfaces. We didn't exactly have asphalt roads lying around back when we decided to get out of the trees.
When I run cross-country races, I run on spikes, which are basically an almost hard sole (very little dampening) with steel 1/2 inch spikes on it, and a thin leather skin around the foot. Track shoes are similar, except they have even less dampening (ie they're as stiff as possible) for sprinters and they have smaller spikes. Modern track surfaces are much bouncier than asphalt, so you need less dampening, and you're only running for a short time anyway.
On the road, I wouldn't dream of running on spikes, I use normal shoes with lots of dampening. I have learnt the more efficient technique of keeping your feet under tension so you "bounce" better, but have you ever tried doing that for 10 miles or so? For short distances and track work, okay, but for a half marathon I'd rather save it for the acceleration in the last few miles, and not blow up my calves right at the start.
As for those fast Africans, as far as I know the explanation is the following. When running, most of your energy is actually put in moving your legs forward again after each step. North Africans have much thinner, lighter lower legs, so they waste less energy there. If you want to run more efficiently, it's a good idea to work on minimising the swing of your feet, because the further you push them backwards, the more energy you waste on pulling them forwards again for their next step.
Lourens
Any serious runner will be replacing their shoes every few hundred miles or so; unless they want to become serious hobblers later in life.
They make piezo-electric actuators - does that count? (no parts move _relative_ to the others - the material stiffens or bends in response to current). Linky
Yeah, because I know that my wife spent four years in med school and several more in residency without ever managing to learn the physiology of the part of the body she specializes in. We also get a fat monthly check from the American Heel-Strikers, Inc., for her vocal support of not using your toes.
Signed,
The husband of a podiatrist who knows more about feet than you do.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?