Just as everyone is talking about Google Glass, the much-anticipated smart spectacles, the web giant has taken an unexpected step in the field of wearable technology by unveiling the talking shoe.
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The training shoe is designed to keep you active by relaying information about
your movement and offering words of encouragement.
The Android-connected Google
shoe is fitted with a tiny computer, a speaker, an accelerometer, a
gyroscope and a pressure sensor to provide detailed information on your
physical activity.
The shoe, demonstrated at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas,
offers various cutting statements when the user is inactive, such as "this
is super boring" and "If standing still was a sport, you'd be
world champion".
But the computerised voice also responds positively when you get moving,
saying: "I love the feeling of wind through my laces" while you
are running, or saying: "Call 911, because you are on fire", while
you are jumping around playing sport.
All these statements cans be posted on social network Google+, or broadcast
via on-board speakers.
Just as questions have been raised over Google Glass, with some people suspecting that the augmented reality spectacles, might be misused, Google has immediately come under fire over their intentions with the talking shoes.
According to the website Geek.com, the shoes are the latest tool for a company that is “in the business of extracting as much information as possible from the world so they can better target ads for their customers”.
The shoe is part of a project called "Art, Copy, Code", that aims to give new uses to every everyday objects. Google has no current plans to put the shoes into production.
Just as questions have been raised over Google Glass, with some people suspecting that the augmented reality spectacles, might be misused, Google has immediately come under fire over their intentions with the talking shoes.
According to the website Geek.com, the shoes are the latest tool for a company that is “in the business of extracting as much information as possible from the world so they can better target ads for their customers”.
The shoe is part of a project called "Art, Copy, Code", that aims to give new uses to every everyday objects. Google has no current plans to put the shoes into production.
