Fellow – India-based Ducere Technologies plans to start selling their Lechal ‘smart shoes”, which link to the Google Maps app on a smartphone via Bluetooth, very soon. According to Lechal, it let their wearers know where to walk next. If a person has a pre-set destination for their walking or running path, the shoe vibrates when a turn needs to be made.
Not just shoes, Lechal also provide insoles for those who don’t want to get rid of their favourite shoes and turn them into smart one.
Lechal include counting steps for fitness apps and even a way to alert smartphone owners if they lose or misplace their device.
Lechal Website: www.lechal.com
The app would appear to be at the core of the product line. The user can interact via voice commands and in order to keep it simple, most of the operations can be performed using the volume keys on your smartphone. The app will be out for all major platforms but the release date for the same was not revealed. From what we could gather the app has the following features.
- Maps your route taken and you can label and share routes
- Location tagging feature
- Multiple modes of transportation are covered
- Includes a waypoint system
- Calorie counter with fitness milestones
- Social media integration
- Tourism feature, wearer will be notified of points of interest with a little write up popping up in their phone at the same time
- Senses distance between phone and shoes, then alerts the user when the distance increases
- When a new route is pulled up you’ll be alerted if there is enough charge for the trip to begin with
- Future features include the ability to detect falls, with a call being placed to an emergency number in the event of a fall
- The shoe gives you the ability to record gestures, so raising your heal could allow you to tag a location or tapping your shoes twice could set it to navigate you back home
The prototype first made the headlines back in mid 2011 when the primary focus was towards developing an aid for the visually disabled. The prototype was developed on Arduino but they later migrated to using an AVR. When inquired if the API for the app would be released, Krispian mentioned that they would be release the API after further development but there would be restrictions placed on the developers.
Ducere technology was founded by Krispian Lawrence and Anirudh Sharma and is based in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. The primary focus of the company is towards fashion with technology being a byproduct of their tinkering.
Co-Founder and CEO, Ducere Technologies
M.S in Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Co-Founder and CTO, Ducere Technologies
M.S in Media Arts and Science, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Lechal – World’s first Smart shoe from India Fellow - India-based Ducere Technologies plans to start selling their Lechal 'smart shoes", which link to the Google Maps app on a smartphone via Bluetooth, very soon.
