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?"

Comments

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[Anonymous Coward]

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[Errtu76]

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Re:what a gimmick

[glaHHg]

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.

Re:Crazy runners...

[tuxette]

I don't think very many serious runners would buy these shoes. A lot of people I know who are serious runners (marathon etc.) have a hard enough time detaching themselves from their old worn down shoes. When they do buy new shoes, they know what they need for their feet and terrain; they don't need a chip to tell them what they already know.

These high-tech shoes seem like something that would appeal more to the wannabes. It's their money, so...

Re:Human feet

[tuxette]

You're in on something there. There are quite a few elite runners who train/compete barefoot. For example, Abebe Bikila won his first Olympic marathon running barefoot, and broke the world record.

Here's another interesting site regarding barefoot running/marathoning.

Re:A battery on a running shoe. Think about this..

[btempleton]

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.

Re:Yeah

[b4k4]

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?