You’ve heard of smartwatches and smart glasses, but now Nike and PUMA are joining the wearable technology market.
Nike started a couple years ago with a prototype pair of shoes that could lace themselves, but their new release incorporates bluetooth-enabled, gyroscopic technology that gives athletes feedback on their form, and adjusts tightness based on how swollen your feet are getting. PUMA is working on their first pair of smart shoes too.
The shoes are designed for high-performing or even professional athletes, which is probably why they can afford to put them on the market for $350.
Would you be tempted to spend the money for some smart shoes? Is the extra technology worth the higher price tag? Or, is this taking wearable technologies a step too far?
Guests:
Peter Rubin, creative/senior editor at Wired, who has written about Nike’s smart shoes technology; author of the book, “Future Presence: How Virtual Reality Is Changing Human Connection, Intimacy, and the Limits of Ordinary Life” (HarperOne, 2018); he tweets
David Krum, a researcher and computer scientist at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies; expert on virtual reality, 3D graphics and wearable computers