Comes now world’s first intelligent shoe

At first blush, the idea seemed to have come straight from a science fiction tale but after three-and-half years of extensive and highly-confidential research, adidas again showed "Impossible is Nothing" by developing the world’s first intelligent shoe.

Called adidas 1, the shoe, through a magnetic sensor and microprocessor, understands and adapts to a runner’s need, the condition of the track and the environment itself to provide a perfect feel for the run.

"It works like a human reflex action," said Mark Oleson, senior mechanical engineer to a group of Filipino newsmen during visit to the state-of-the-art adidas Innovation Center in Portland, Oregon last February.

The latest adidas shoe, concededly ahead of its time, will be available to world-wide market this weekend, said Angelica Suiza, adidas Philippines marketing directress.

More than three years in development, adidas 1 will be finally unwrapped to earn a niche in the sporting world as the most advanced shoe that provides optimal setting and perfect cushioning to every runner.

No two runners are the same, said adidas product information sheet, but all have a common need for cushioning. Runners experience forces around three times their body weight every step and the adidas 1 not only can tell the difference between a heavy strike and a light one but it adjusts itself to an individual need whether one weighs 60 kilos or 160 kilos.

"What it does basically is to provide optimal cushioning for different runners, different surfaces and weight categories and footstrikes," said Oleson.

Adidas 1, which made the Time magazine portfolio of best inventions in 2004, keeps the right cushioning during the run, be it on hard concrete, dirt trails or muddy tracks.

It works through a magnetic sensing system where the sensor sits just below the runner’s heel and the magnet is placed in the bottom of the midsole, gauging the compression and the amount of cushioning being used.

About 1,000 readings per second are taken and relayed to the shoe brain, a microprocessor which is capable of five million calculations per second. It then downloads the data from the sensor to the preset zone and understands if the shoe is too soft or too firm.

Once it has determined if the cushioning level is appropriate, it sends a command to the shoe’s muscle to make a change. The shoe muscle is actually a motor-driven cable system, powered by a tiny battery, which adapts to the instruction and either lengthens the cable for a softer ride on pavement or shortens it to become more rigid and tensed for dirt tracks.

"The shoe is truly amazing and there’s never been like it before so we’re very enthusiastic about its arrival in the Philippines," said Suiza.

Despite its high retail price, selling at $250 in the United States and over P14,000 locally, adidas 1 seemed to have gained a favorable reaction from the elite running fraternity since adidas Philippines has received an advance order of 100 pairs since October last year when it learned the shoe would be launched mid-March this year.

"We think it will be a big hit," said Suiza.

Adidas 1 is available at adidas brand stores in Gateway, Glorietta, Podium, Rockwell, and adidas Sports Kamp.