SuperShoes – Lets your Feet give you Directions with Tickling Patterns

There have been Watches, Wrist Bands and much more wearable stuff which integrate with your Smartphone, but this is something new. Super Shoes is the concept of trying to connect the Smartphone with your shoes and make it give directions to your feet while you are walking. It is an idea that an MIT media Lab Researcher – Dhairya Dand has envisioned, and the Super Shoes are in the Concept stage. Let us get to know more about this product.

Super Shoes Design:

Super Shoe is a simple looking Inner Sole that should be placed in your Shoe, and because the Microcontroller and batteries be incorporated into the Silicon Insole, you won’t feel any discomfort under your sole while walking. The Super Shoe is not much great looking in design point of view with a partly transparent Sole which incorporates the following:

• Vibratory sensors or the Vibrotactile Ticklers near the three toes
• Capacitive Pad to Sense your Walk
• Micro controller
• Bluetooth
• Batteries

The Silicone Inner sole can be placed inside your shoes, and I guess these will be available in various sizes to fit everyone’s feet and shoe size.

How do Super Shoes Work:

The Super shoe comes with a Bluetooth connection which it uses to connect to your Smartphone to know your locations and Directions and Notifications as well. There is a Super Shoe Central platform on the Cloud in which the user has to create an account and enter the likes. And Dislikes into the online platform using, which the Super shoe connects with your Smartphone and gives you directions, and notifications based on your likes and dislikes.

It knows your location and shows you the nearest route, calendar updates, tasks, interests, etc. The Super shoe central will recommend the required routes, notifications and nearest attractions which will be transferred to your Super Shoe through your smartphone.

1. Put both the Super Show inner soles in your Right and Left Shoes respectively.
2. Connect your Device to your Super Shoes using Bluetooth and keep your internet connection ON.
3. Based on your Location and your office, school or work timings Super shoe will give you updates to your phone based on your location, likes, dislikes and time available.
4. In your break time when you are going for a walk, your shoes will show you the nearest route to your location using the Vibrotactile Ticklers present near the toes.
5. If you need to go to the Left side the ticklers in the left inner sole will Tickle which tells you to take a left turn, and in the same manner if you need to go to the Right the Ticklers in the Right inner sole will Tickle telling you to turn right.
6. When you have reached your location or if something is recommended at the location both the Ticklers will start tickling. You need to check your Smartphone to see the recommendation or notification.
7. In the case of any notification of any task or updates both the ticklers will start tickling continuously until your check your smartphone.

Super Shoes are a great way to keep your eyes off your smartphone for navigation and enjoy the journey as well without being concerned about the directions and navigation. There are lots of wonderful and beautiful things around which you are missing out on while you are immersed into your smartphone looking for directions. The Shoe central is in its developing stage which will shortly be introduced into the market and before it comes I think they must look into some factors and some doubts like:

• Introduce multiple Sizes both for Males and Females
• What happens when you are driving or riding your bicycle?
• Does it connect to Google Maps or has its navigation system?
• Will the inner soles be able to bear the brunt of Jogging, Running and other physical activities if subjected to?

These are some of the many things which should be thought about before the launch of the product and the pricing also plays a major factor. The overall idea is a very good one of making people concentrate and help them enjoy the world around rather than getting stuck inside their Smartphones all the time.