Back in 2001, Nike introduced a range of slip-on sneakers, Presto, in India billed as T-shirt for the feet, referring to the comforts it offered. Close on the heels of Presto's launch, rival Reebok came up with what it called shoes with gears.
As it turned out the 'gear' system merely helped the users to adjust the fit of the shoes around the feet (in other words loosen or tighten them) with the help of elastic shoestrings.
Now, its the turn of German sportswear giant Adidas to take the technology driven marketing spin to a different level altogether. Its latest product, Adidas1, is the world's first 'intelligent' shoe.
It has a microprocessor chip which Adidas claims can meet the individual comfort levels of an athlete by automatically adjusting the cushioning while he runs.
This feature, according to Adidas, is the Holy Grail for the global sports footwear industry. Among several other things Adidas can also lay claim to the fact that this is the world's first shoe which comes with an instruction manual, and a laptop-like case to carry it around.
Priced at Rs 12,499 Adidas 1 is sold through just four outlets-South Extension Adidas store in New Delhi, in Gurgaon's MGF Mall, the Linking Road showroom in Mumbai and the Adidas store in Forum Mall in Bangalore.
Adidas claims that the shoe has a sensor capable of registering 20,000 readings in the blink of an eye, a processor capable of making 250,000 calculations in the beat of a bird's wing ,and a motor that spins faster than the rotors of a Blackhawk helicopter.
"Since no two runners are exactly alike, no two running shoes should be alike either. Adidas 1 solves this problem - it is a different shoe for every runner who wears it. It senses, understands and adapts to the needs, activity and environment of each runner who wears it, creating a running experience tailored uniquely for them," says Andreas Gellner, managing director, Adidas India.
The nerve centre of the shoe, a magnetic sensing system made up of a sensor below the runner's heel and a magnet at the bottom of the mid-sole, monitors heel impact forces 1,000 times per second as the runner runs.
The nerve centre then conveys the readings to the shoe's brain -- a tiny microprocessor capable of making five million calculations per second to understand the runner's needs. The brain, using software written specifically for Adidas 1, then determines whether the shoe is too soft or too firm for the runner's movement and sends a command to the shoe's muscle.
A motor-driven cable system, the shoe's muscle then makes a physical change to the cushioning properties of the shoe as you run, adapting to ensure you have the correct level of cushioning for your needs at any given moment.
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