From armbands to iPhones, everything wants to help you track your steps these days — but this wearable is different. This set of slip-on haptic sneaks wants to help you take those steps in the right direction. No, the literal correct direction, as in up Main Street and take a left on Oak Street. Get it?
Using a similar tech to what we saw in MIT’s SuperShoes insoles, the Bluetooth-enabled Lechal are shoes that promise you’ll never get lost. Connect the pair, available in red or black, to your phone with their app and plug in your destination. From there, you’ve just gotta follow the good vibrations. Your left shoe will vibrate when it’s time to turn left and your right will vibrate when it’s time to go that way. All you have to do is relax and wait for your next turn. No more staring at your phone or, gasp, a map!
If you’re committed to your current sneakers by virtue of form or function, the company also offers insoles with the same functions. Just slide them in to those brand-new booties and get walking with your stylish, smart kicks.
These shoes will let you get directions around a foreign city without looking like a tourist, help you stay on the right path at night without having to hold your phone out and might even inspire you to take the road less traveled, but safely guided. Maybe more importantly, the company is studying how they can use these shoes to aid the visually impaired. Now, that sounds like a step in the best direction.
What’s your fave wearable tech device? Are you swooning over Lechal with us? Let us know your thoughts below!