In the world of fitness tracking, smart footwear is a relatively unexplored but fascinating category. These innovative shoes offer a premium experience in terms of fitness tracking and data analysis. They not only collect data but also provide real-time feedback to help users improve their running technique and overall fitness. In this article, we will explore five smart footwear options available for the holiday season and into 2023. These devices provide valuable insights into your running performance, giving you an edge over traditional fitness trackers like wristbands.
- Altra IQ Sports Shoes Altra, a renowned shoe manufacturer, presents the Altra IQ Sports Shoes, equipped with a variety of sensors to provide in-depth information about your running performance. These smart shoes offer insights into your foot landing, running form, step count, and calorie expenditure. By leveraging this data, you can enhance your workouts and optimize your fitness goals. The Altra IQ Sports Shoes also offer details about your stride length, ground contact times, and more. These shoes are particularly beneficial for avid runners and can be a valuable tool during marathon training, accurately tracking your distance.
Complementing these smart shoes, there is a dedicated app that delivers all the essential data and insights you need. While the Altra IQ Sports Shoes lack a warming feature, the wealth of other features more than makes up for it.
2. Digitsole Smart Insole The Digitsole Smart Insole is a revolutionary product designed to keep your feet warm, thanks to its built-in thermostat. This insole can be easily fitted into any shoe of your choice. Additionally, it is equipped with an accelerometer to track your steps and monitor calorie burn during your runs. It stands out as one of the most comprehensive footwear accessories available, boasting a dedicated app that enables you to control the temperature of individual insoles to ensure your feet are always comfortable.
For those who prefer complete smart footwear solutions, Digitsole also offers shoes with this heating feature, albeit at a higher price point. If you’re looking to experience the world of smart shoes, the Digitsole Smart Insole is a fantastic entry point and can be found on Amazon.
3. Under Armour Speedform Gemini 3 RE Under Armour, a well-known brand in athletic footwear, presents the Speedform Gemini 3 RE. These seemingly ordinary sneakers conceal advanced technology designed to provide top-notch fitness metrics. They track essential data such as distance traveled and overall mileage, all while appearing like regular athletic shoes. What sets these shoes apart is their ability to store fitness data internally and then sync with your connected devices. Notably, the Speedform Gemini 3 RE can assess your fatigue level by prompting a jump test before you begin your run.
4. Runscribe Runscribe takes a unique approach to smart footwear by offering a small tracker that can be mounted on top of your existing shoes for advanced data analysis. This tracker is just as capable as full-fledged smart shoes, thanks to its comprehensive 9-axis sensor that accurately tracks various running metrics, including stride length, foot symmetry, landing times, and more. If you’re interested in smart shoes but want to avoid the high cost, the Runscribe fitness tracker is a fantastic alternative.
The Runscribe tracker is designed to securely attach to your shoes using mounting hooks, ensuring it stays in place, even during intense workouts. It includes flash memory to store data from your runs, which can be conveniently synced via Bluetooth through the company’s dedicated app. Runscribe also offers a web dashboard, allowing you to access your data from your computer, and an active community for comparing your metrics with others.
5. Sensoria Socks The Sensoria Socks offer a convenient and versatile approach to smart footwear. These socks can be used with virtually any pair of shoes you own. Despite their lightweight and comfortable design, Sensoria Socks incorporate essential sensors that provide valuable data. An anklet, included with the socks, contains the necessary sensors to monitor your foot movements. The accompanying app, available on the Play Store, offers real-time insights into which foot you’re using and the pressure generated on each foot. Though they may come with a higher price tag, the versatility of Sensoria Socks makes them a worthwhile investment.”
