3D printed footwear isn’t particularly new to the fashion industry, what with New Balance recently jumping on the bandwagon and releasing the first of the brand’s kind. Smart accessories are also fairly old hat when it comes to the digital era, but did you ever think that your shoes could change the way you play mobile games?
Sneakers have gone through a major makeover over the last couple of years, with shoe companies revamping classic athletic styles and offering more directional reworks, which the editors of Lyst have shown in their varied trainer collection. However, these kicks have also been an inspiration in the tech world as designers have started incorporating 3D printing to modernize footwear. And Lenovo is trying to take it a step further by creating a smart shoe that doubles up as a game controller.
At Lenovo’s Tech World 2016 event held in Silicon Valley earlier this month, the Chinese multinational technology company revealed all of their latest innovations in laptops, smartphones and tablets. Although, the superstar among the concepts was their 3D printed smart sneakers. This isn’t the company’s first pair of smart shoes, with Venture Beat explaining that their prototype from last year was able to track your mood and fitness data through built-in sensors. In addition to those fitness sensors, this year’s Intel powered concept includes LEDs, a foot size charging panel and a customizable 3D printed insole. Unfortunately, no other specifics were given on the 3D printing technology, but Lenovo did share that they had been in partnership with Italian company Vibram to help manufacture the outsoles.
How exactly the sneakers will be incorporated into video and mobile games, Lenovo hasn’t made that clear, though most would probably imagine a Dance Dance Revolution type of setup or a runner-style mobile game that the shoes could sync with. The shoes are equipped with an Intel Curie chip that’s supposedly a future trend in wearables, but there’s no telling whether these smart sneakers will make their way into the market any time soon.
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