
India’s Answer to Google Glass: The Smartshoe - skbohra123
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2014/07/24/indias-answer-to-google-glass-the-smartshoe/
======
drum
Shoes are a fantastic idea, and highly overlooked. The biggest hurdle to
wearable technology is the friction required to convince a consumer to wear
it. We all wear shoes. We don't all wear glasses or watches. Some of us even
wear contacts to avoid wearing glasses. The Smartshoe doesn't seem as
competitive to Google Glass as it is complimentary. Glasses have a better
appeal for visual media capture because you can see what you're capturing in
real time and from a better angle. The Smartshoe could have a better appeal
for fitness and GPS use cases. Emphasizing 'smartsole' would probably be a
better sell than 'smartshoe' though. Letting consumers stick with their
personal fashion choices, i.e. Nike, Vans, is a powerful selling point.

~~~
onion2k
It also needs to be useful on a relatively regular basis otherwise there's a
dissonance between added value and the additional cost. For these shoes to be
useful you need to be walking somewhere you don't know the way to, without
someone with you who knows the way with you, for a distance that makes you not
want to take your phone out to check you're going the right way occasionally.
I don't think I've been in that situation for about 10 years.

If you're a courier or a messenger then these would be fantastically useful.
For everyone else, they solve a problem no one really has.

~~~
bsenftner
At destination tourist sites, rent the shoes out (or sell the "tour" software
to those who own the shoes) so they can walk the same steps as people of
bygone eras while listening to the ambient audio recreating the time period. I
can see this as being a huge tourist activity for the historical and location-
fan minded type.

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alokdhari
I am not sure how is it an answer to google glass !! It navigates and counts
the number of steps and roughly the number of calories the wearer burns. Now
if we consider it as an answer to google glass then is it an answer to smart
watch and astronaut's suits(I consider them wearables as they are expensive
and loaded with tech). End of the day, title's a bit too misleading I would
say but none the less a good invention and I might even go back home and buy
it.

~~~
CaRDiaK
Possibly click bait. I think India's Answer to Wearable Computing would have
been a little more fitting.

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realrocker
Why is it titled India's answer to Google Glass? Possible explanations: 1\.
The editors know that Indians are susceptible to jingoistic patriotism. "Wow
Indians did this? Really?" 2\. The editors think that Indians as a collective
are not a piece of the flat world and their accomplishments are more
surprising than routine. 3\. Now that China has pulled itself close to
developed nations, India represents "The Third World Asian Country".

I am not offended. IMO all of the above are true. But I guess it can't be too
hard to refer a product by the company name rather than the whole nation.

~~~
rainhacker
I think it is condescending to associate a product with a country and not the
company.

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creyer
I like the idea, but can I suggested also on the same note that they can
create a high tech condom, which will let you know how many diseases you have
avoided each time you wear it, and it might have also a pleasure indicator, so
at the end both partners, will know how much the other one faked. (Obviously
this message is intended as a joke, and should not offend anyone)

~~~
untog
You've just painted a horrifically realistic concept for the quantified self
crowd. How was my orgasm? Was it better or worse than the one I had two days
ago? Is my current partner giving me better orgasms than my previous one?
Let's upload all of this personal data to the cloud and get some pretty
charts...

~~~
carlob
Like this?

[http://spreadsheetsapp.com](http://spreadsheetsapp.com)

~~~
untog
Oh god.

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logfromblammo
This is an absolutely brilliant idea.

Wearables like Glass solve the problem of people having their faces glued to
their phones by gluing their phones to their faces. And people use their faces
for social interaction. So face-mounted tech is immediately noticeable and
obvious, especially around eyes and ears. Hence, the nickname "glasshole".

Vibration is not new. I recall seeing video of a belt fitted with multiple
vibration motors that always vibrated the motor closest to true north. This
allowed blindfolded people to navigate across the test field to a
predetermined destination.

This puts the same concept into the least noticeable spot on your body: the
soles of your feet. Shoes are nearly impossible to forget when you go out, and
we are already well conditioned to tolerate wearing them.

Obviously, it has lower sensory resolution than a visual or audible interface,
but it is going through a completely different channel. Over-eye or in-ear
wearables have to compete for bandwidth in already cluttered channels. Tactile
wearables have a wide open channel, just begging to be used.

Add in an interface for foot-gesture inputs, and you could do a lot more than
just navigation and pedometry.

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acchow
What does this have to do with Google Glass? I believe this is one of those
cases where writing your own post title is allowed (encouraged?).

~~~
visakanv
They're both wearable tech, I guess. Title might be better phrased as
"Wearable Tech in India".

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collyw
I a not convinced of the benefits of wearable technology in the immediate
future. The watch was the original piece of wearable technology for years, but
many people including myself don't bother with them now, because they can
check their phone. The other application I can see an advanced version of a
heart rate monitor. The fact is these will only appeal to a small part of the
population. There are far more people who don't give a shit about their health
than do AND want to shell out for something like this.

This article actually gave a new case, for blind people. But considering how
frustrating a conventional smartphone can be to get directions (no GPS lock,
no signal, the phone has just decided to run slow while you really need it, or
it crashes), I am skeptical about how good it will actually be. What is the
advantage in having your shoe tell you which way to go over a handheld device
like a phone?

~~~
vingen
you wont have to check anything, you can feel where you have to go. If I
understood the shoe correct.

~~~
collyw
Seems a very marginal benefit.

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pyre
I'm surprised that this wasn't mentioned:
[http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_...](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/b8/76/b8761a8f11c0e30390e6224d482cbe74.jpg?itok=ywocHyD9)

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matthewmacleod
This is an awful headline. Not a terrible idea though - always exciting to see
new wearables.

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mdisraeli
On a similar note, check out Northpaw, a project to help people develop a
sense of north -
[http://sensebridge.net/projects/northpaw/](http://sensebridge.net/projects/northpaw/).
This exact same method might actually be an easier way to get wearable
navigational aids, as it will work with all shoes.

What I found interesting was that the insoles featured had a surprisingly
similar height profile to my medical orthotic insoles for pes cavovarus (high
arches, inward-turned heels)[1]. I'm all for tech that fits disabilities by
default! (although this is probably an accidental by-product of the required
space for the tech)

~~~
MrBuddyCasino
Interesting - does the motor run all the time, or in intervalls?

~~~
gusfoo
> does the motor run all the time, or in intervalls?

It runs all the time. I built one of these using a kit from Sensebrige. The
results were not as good as I had hoped.

~~~
MrBuddyCasino
What was your issue with it? I have a bad sense of orientation, and I thought
about building my own version of it, theirs is too large imho.

Also, running a motor continually seems like it would drain the battery really
quick.

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jzwinck
This has a great application for travelers in certain areas. The article
glosses over it with "even tourists can plug in their destinations and not
have to stop to check their phones" but this could be a big deal for people
who spend a lot of time walking in unfamiliar areas where pickpockets roam.

It's really not a good idea to take out your fancy smartphone there to check
at each corner, but imagine walking around like you actually know where to go.
This even applies to places like London, where there have been multiple cases
of motorcyclists riding next to the sidewalk (er, pavement) to snatch
smartphones from pedestrians.

~~~
collyw
I am fairly sure when I was a teen in the late 80's that trainers got stolen.
They were a status symbol for that age group at the time, and we had fancy
tech like Reebok Pump built into them.

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kbart
Can't help it: [http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/get_smart-
tv.jp...](http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/get_smart-tv.jpg)

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anoopmunshi
People should look at technology rather than having a opinion, a person should
not have mentioned India's answers to google. A very bad message for a country
and to for the business.

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donniezazen
> The shoes sync up with a smartphone app that uses Google maps and vibrate to
> tell users when and where to turn to each their destination.

You have to take into consideration that internet is not really great in
India. Slow internet will force drawing of battery in mere an hour or two.
Secondly, Google Maps in India isn't as great as it is in western countries.

I had to literally uninstall Moves because it would eat up at least 15-20% of
battery compared to it used to either not take more than 5% of battery in US.

~~~
denom
There has been some research on generating energy from the flexing motions of
shoes. Maybe these could be self-powered?

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anishkothari
Interesting concept. I think this would be great for travellers so they don't
have to ask for directions from locals who might otherwise misguide them. For
example: [http://learningindia.in/how-to-never-get-lost-in-
india/](http://learningindia.in/how-to-never-get-lost-in-india/)
[http://indiaopines.com/perils-directions-
india/](http://indiaopines.com/perils-directions-india/)

~~~
thisisandyok
I always feel like such a hopeless tourist when I have to consult my phone for
directions. I'd definitely feel a lot happier (and safer) being able to pay
more attention to my surroundings.

~~~
anishkothari
Likewise. I hate looking like a tourist and go out of my way to look/act like
a local when I travel (mostly for safety reasons). Now that I've read your
comment, I think these shoes might do better in parts of the world that have
better maps and faster internet than India. They might have to upgrade the
look though!

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pqs
If the only purpose of these shoes is to get directions, I would prefer a pair
of bracelets, which I could wear on my wrists or my ankles.

~~~
icoder
Exactly! Sure it seems 'logical' at first sight that directions _for the feet_
are directed _at the feet_. But since all signals need to go through the brain
anyway, I don't see why you can't replace this with a bracelet or smartphone
in your pocket (two vibration patterns, should be easy to learn). Especially
the latter saves you a lot of recharge hassles.

Steps could be measured just as well with a clip on my shoe(s) so I can wear
whatever shoes I want. I would be surprised if there is no disadvantage at all
to run on these shoes (or inlays) compared to a pair of well chosen running
shoes.

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zkar
India seems to produce many alternate low cost ideas for the latest
technology. However being in India, we don't see or experience any mass market
usage of these alternates. Some examples.. low cost tablet,laptop,even the
tata nano low cost car don't have mass market adoption considering the fact
that there are 1 billion+ people.

~~~
rtx
I guess the problem comes due to positioning. I am not looking for a low cost
product. I am looking for a good product at a lower cost.

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kumarm
Certainly interesting idea. The writeup seems odd though.

one: Title is off. Second: "The shoes sync up with the Google maps smartphone
app and vibrate to tell users when and where to turn to reach their
destination."

Unless they worked with Google its not possible as out side Google Maps you
have no way to notify your shoe about the turn (Through bluetooth).

~~~
sambeau
I'm sure they meant "The shoes sync up with the Google maps SERVICE VIA A
smartphone app" and the extra words were probably edited out for brevity. Most
people wouldn't understand the difference.

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blazingswrd
Hmm......this sounds familiar...sounds very close to this MIT Media Lab
project:
[http://dhairyadand.com/sec/?page=projects&id=supershoes](http://dhairyadand.com/sec/?page=projects&id=supershoes)

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richmarr
I like the vision. Those inserts will need to come in different varieties to
allow for people who already need inserts for other reasons, e.g. arch
support... odour control... (not me obviously, I'm commenting on behalf of a
friend)

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lmontrieux
I'm surprised nobody brought up the mandatory Python reference yet:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka9mfZbTFbk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka9mfZbTFbk)

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george_morgan
Related HN post from a number of years ago, covering a similar idea:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3192304](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3192304)

~~~
amrrs
It's the same Le chal shoe from Ducere Technologies

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dreamweapon
Just wait -- pretty soon, they'll come installed upward-pointing cams. And
anyone opposed to having such gear in mass circulation will be derided as
"luddites".

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mukundmr
What is WSJ upto? How does a shoe even compare to Google Glass? I live in
India and I did hear any news about this...

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LukeB_UK
So every time you wear your shoes out, you have to buy a new pair of these
expensive ones?

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disposablename
Was I the only one expecting a self-guided shoe you can throw at glassholes?

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skalla
will it tickle the feet?

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Aldo_MX
The first thing that came to my mind:

Play Dance Dance Revolution without a pad :D

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kinj28
cool stuff. a potential issue in India market for smart shoe in India is: in
most holy places they need to remove footwear & also many a times they get
stolen.

~~~
noisy_boy
Indians make sure not to wear the "good shoes" to the temple for the precisely
same reason.

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copycat22
how did this make it to the first page?

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inginist
It sure sounds great contender ;)

