Innovation takes a leap in US with smart shoes, accessories for real-time feedback

In a bid to revolutionise the fitness wearable space, an Indian company has introduced smart shoes in the US, which claims to scientifically improve running and fitness levels by giving real-time feedback to the consumer.

Arnav Kishore, CEO and founder of Boltt, a Mumbai-based startup, introduced smart shoes, a range of smart bands, shoe pod sensor and wireless headsets at Tech Disrupt event in the Silicon Valley

Till now, all activity trackers and wearables gave data. We are conspiring to change that by inferring this data and giving it a meaning, said Kishore.

This, he said will scientifically improve running, track and further fitness levels and show the consumer their health in a whole new way. Playing with a combination of advanced fitness wearables, and an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Health Coach, the products represent a 'connected fitness' solution, accelerating quality of life for users, he argued.

Having partnered with Garmin, the world pioneer in wearable sensors, Boltt announced pre-orders for the wearables will open in October, followed by the commercial launch through credible e-commerce partners and strategic offline experience centers a month later. It plans to launch the products in 13 countries, in batches, through primary channels of sale.

With its range of products and solution Boltt is addressing the white space in the wearables domain and through the meticulous AI reinventing the complementing software part of the fitness gadgets space, the company said in a media release. One such offering by the company is the Boltt Training app that works in tandem with their smart shoe. With hundreds of scientifically designed workouts and training plans, the app assists user's run and workout more effectively, it said.

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In other news, Scientists have developed a new light-weight, conductive material that can convert body heat into electricity, and lead to T-shirts or arm bands that generate power for wearable electronics.

The prototypes, developed by researchers at North Carolina (NC) State University in the US, are lightweight, conform to the shape of the body, and can generate far more electricity than previous lightweight heat harvesting technologies. The researchers also identified the optimal site on the body for heat harvesting. Daryoosh Vashaee, associate professor at NC State said,

Wearable thermoelectric generators (TEGs) generate electricity by making use of the temperature differential between your body and the ambient air. Our technology generates up to 20 microwatt per square centimetre and doesn't use a heat sink, making it lighter and much more comfortable.

The new design begins with a layer of thermally conductive material that rests on the skin and spreads out the heat. The conductive material is topped with a polymer layer that prevents the heat from dissipating through to the outside air. This forces the body heat to pass through a centrally-located TEG that is one square centimetre.