

Show HN: Former R&D manager for Xbox Kinect sensors, this is my new project - mmachlin
http://www.indiegogo.com/milestonepod

======
bialecki
Quick thoughts from an active runner (70-80 miles/wk):

\- Figuring out when my shoes wear down is not, IMO, a big problem. I can look
at the soles and tell or I know after about 500 miles it's time to switch it
up.

\- That said, it is incredibly important to switch shoes (or replace soles)
when they wear down. I've been fortunate to not run into too many injuries,
but I've been hobbled more than once by not taking the time to get new shoes.
There is definitely an opportunity for some shoe company online to send me an
email every X months with a 20% of coupon for the SAME PAIR of shoes I always
buy. I'm sure they could figure out how serious of a runner someone is by the
shoes they buy or repeat purchases.

\- Now, I might buy one of these to see what kind of data it stores because I
believe the future of pedometers/activity tracking is they'll be cheap enough
they'll come built into shoes. In 5-10 years I expect to buy shoes that come
with a $5 pedometer/tracking device built in and that would be a killer
feature. No FitBit to wear, etc., just something that shoes come with. That'll
be awesome.

~~~
pedalpete
Though I completely agree with you, the problem these guys are trying to solve
is when does the mid-sole break down, which can happen before your shoes look
worn.

The bigger problem is that depending on the shoes and milage and runner, I
believe the destruction of the shoe will vary.

Having said that, I too don't think there is a market here, but think your
idea of a discount on my next pair of shoes is a great idea.

------
orangethirty
I'm an amateur runner. On average, run about 20 miles per week at a fairly
good pace of 6-8 minutes/mile. Anyone would think that I go through a lot of
shoes, but I don't. I have only changed shoes _once_ in more than two years of
running. All of my shoes have been asiics, which I can not stop recommending.

Now, what I have changed (like 6 times/shoe) are the insoles. Runners know
that they are the secret to less injuries and comfortability. Right now, I
have a pair of insoles that cost the same amount that the shoes did (and they
weren't cheap). And worth every penny.

Do I need a product like this? No. Do I want it? I don't seem to see the real
value in it. I guess you need to sell me better on it.

Now, if you could invent a passive sensor for my insoles then that would be
great. Sort of like something that changes colors when the insole stops
cushioning the impact as well as it should I would pay $50 for a reusable one.

~~~
mmachlin
I would check the sole of your shoes. Based on the way many people strike the
pavement with their foot, the shoe's sole wears out unproportionally. It's
possible that you have a balanced, proper foot strike so it's not a problem,
but I pretty certain that majority of the runners aren't as lucky.

As a fellow runner, I invite you to follow our progress, I think you will be
pleasantly surprised by what our roadmap holds.

~~~
orangethirty
Will you be sharing the marketing aspects of the crowd-funding campaign with
the community here?

~~~
mmachlin
We do not consider ourselves marketing experts but will be happy to share
whatever we learn.

If you're looking for someone who has been successful, have you seen this:

[http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2012/12/18/hacking-
kick...](http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2012/12/18/hacking-kickstarter-
how-to-raise-100000-in-10-days-includes-successful-templates-e-mails-etc/)

~~~
orangethirty
Thank you for the link.

I believe that we learn more from our failures than from our success. Though I
dont think you will fail. But learning about your experience and the learning
process would positively impact all.

------
nathannecro
Interesting product.

Observation: Am I wrong in thinking that both amateur and serious runners keep
a general idea of how far they've run (just like in the video, "Hi I'm Meir
and I run 80 miles a week"). If that's the case, then he'll need to replace
his shoes every 5 weeks (given a 400 mile limit). Even if he's got races or
marathons or friendly runs between then, he's still got about 200 miles of
wiggle room. For someone who just runs for general health (say every other day
at a rate of 2 miles per run), one's shoe will last at least a year upwards to
two years. At that point, aren't most people thinking of getting a new shoe
anyways?

Question: While I like the medical bracelet idea, how does that actually
become implemented in real life/what usecases do you guys see being used? The
benefit of a medical bracelet is that LEO or medical professional can
immediately identify what is wrong (he's having a seizure, check his bracelet,
it might be due to diabetes). Is there a precedent for a LEO to take out his
laptop which is presumably connected to the department's network and plug in
an unknown and unsecured USB storage device?

~~~
mmachlin
Thanks for the feedback. Regarding your observations, while you are right, I
don't run 80 miles a week all year long, me as others use few pairs of running
shoes, gym, track, field, race, walk, etc...that makes it very hard keeping
records for all.

Regarding your question, the fifth death case in the US is wrong treatment,
over 100K people a year. Speaking with emergency rooms and paramedics led us
believe this is an essential feature, which they will use, the amount of data
needed might be too big to have on a bracelet, and people keep forgetting
them. a treatment usually is an on going one and not finished after the first
few seconds, which I agree with you is the most critical one.

~~~
nathannecro
The question become data security though. If doctors, medics, or law
enforcement officers randomly plug in devices from an unknown source into
their network, that's a serious breach in security. I can't imagine that that
would change even if they know about your product.

------
neya
Am I misunderstanding the product, or does it look like it solves not that
much of a big problem? So, this device let's you track how long you've been
running on a particular pair of shoes and when they would wear out, so you can
have them replaced on time.

How different is this from installing an app on your smartphone and tracking
the miles walked (on that particular pair of shoes)?

Could someone please clarify? Given the fact that this is a product coming
from a big-shot (or an ex-bigshot?) at Microsoft, I am somewhat disappointed
(I was expecting something _radically_ different)

~~~
mmachlin
Everyone must start with an MVP. We wanted to be very cautious with what we
promise and can deliver for the first version, so we're only including the
basic functionality. Please follow our progress to see the radically different
things that are coming up in the future.

However, even this "basic" product already has advantages over having a phone.
You lace it to your shoe and forget about it. No need to have the phone on you
while you're running, remembering to start/stop the app that counts your
mileage. What if you have two pairs of shoes, than the mile counting app will
not be all that useful.

------
lnanek2
Just use one of a thousand other pedometers that attach to shoes? Really
disappointing that you left working on something cutting edge to produce
something that countless other companies already make. Good luck to you,
though.

I'm not really your market anyway. I wore out my knee doing track in school
and can only run on my forefoot now. This eliminates the need for shoe padding
since you just cushion your step using your ankle as a shock absorbing hinge
sort of. Have had no injuries since moving to Nike Free and then Vibram Five
Fingers and I don't replace them until I wear through the soles.

~~~
kyro
What a weird comment - critique of his career decision, admission that you're
not in his market, and a pretty irrelevant backstory.

------
jewelia
I run 20-30 miles/wk, and have a very different take on this than bialecki --
I find when to rotate my shoes really problematic. Explanation: I log every
single workout and know exactly how many miles I run per week, but the issue
is that I actively rotate between 2-3 pairs of shoes (one of my previous
running coaches once told me that you should never run in the same pair of
shoes back to back, and rotating has worked very well to help me avoid
injury). In 2012, I ran around 1000 miles, but I honestly have very little
idea what the distribution of the miles was between my shoes (keeping in mind
that I might wear one pair for a 10 mile distance run, and another for a 3
mile track workout). Looking at the wear on the soles generally helps, but
this method is crude at most.

Thus, for the runner who has one pair of shoes and logs their workouts, I
agree that this device has little if no use. For someone like me, I would
appreciate a solution where I could attach this to each pair and "set and
forget it". A $15 or below price point is an attractive solution, especially
if these devices have a long life (multi-year).

------
swanson
Another data point: I bought shoes, the guy at the running store said to get a
new pair in about 500 miles. I marked down my year-to-date distance traveled
in my fitbit and got a new pair when I had gone about 600 miles (some padding
for when I wasn't wearing my running shoes). Personally, this hack worked well
enough that I wouldn't buy this sensor.

------
mtkd
Has potential.

Could you add an "ICE" button on the device to scroll key information - e.g.
contact details, medical conditions etc. without having to plug it in.

Also inclusion of personal attack alarm could be additional benefit (e.g.
pressing ICE button twice)

~~~
mmachlin
This is great feedback...we actually have these features in the pipe, but
wanted to present as low cost device possible for start, something people will
be willing to spend on top of their new running shoe purchase. We have
currently 3-4 characters display and browsing information over 4 letters might
be too annoying...again thanks for a great feedback.

------
mmachlin
Hi guys. This is my new startup. I'm happy to answer any questions that you
may have about it.

~~~
keenerd
In your calibration tests against GPS, what sort of error do you see after 500
miles of accelerometer data?

~~~
mmachlin
Initial test showed over 95% accuracy, and we are working on make it even
better. On one hand it's not intends to be instead of your GPS to count each
and every run mileage, even though you can. BTW, it will clearly count also
treadmill runs, while a GPS will not...

------
wengzilla
Cool project! Aside from price, is there a big difference between this and
say, Nike+?

~~~
mmachlin
great question, For Nike, the issues are: 1\. The Nike+ does not have the
digital tag feature so there is no emergency information available. 2\. The
Nike+ is much more expensive. If you already own one then you may benefit from
their mileage counting but if you do not you can get this functions (plus the
digital health tag) for significantly less money. 3\. The MilestonePod offers
an on the shoe display for constant update and reminders. Also, with Nike you
have to run with a smartphone, our device is self contained. 4\. The Nike+ is
a Nike product built primarily for Nike shoes. It can work with other shoes
but you need to attach it to the shoe in a way that it was not meant to be
used and I have heard it impact accuracy.

Thanks for the feedback.

------
mikhaill
This is very interesting. As a runner myself I can see a lot of application
here. Especially at the price tag of $15, and re-usable for different shoes
its almost a no brainer to grab.

Now, if it could make me run faster....

~~~
mmachlin
Thanks for your feedback. very excited to get this up and running

------
PanMan
Related question: What did you choose indiegogo over Kickstarter?

~~~
mmachlin
Kickstarter implemented new rules in late September (you may have seen their
"Kickstarter Is Not a Store" blog post and since then it is very hard for tech
projects to get accepted on their site.

So far, Indiegogo has been awesome. We've spoken with their staff a few times
and response time and quality has been excellent. A very good group of folks.

~~~
PanMan
I heard about the new rules, but since it seems you have an actual prototype,
not just some renders, I guessed that wouldn't be a problem for this project.
Not saying you made a wrong choice, just interested. Thnx for the answer!

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jdkaplan13
Looks very cool. For the cost it seems like a no-brainer. I usually wait until
a feel the shoe is too old before replacing, that may be too late.

------
shloimtothee
Can't you just flip over the shoe?

