Google Unveils the 'Talking Shoe' [Video]

Google unveiled a smart sneaker with personality at SXSW that can broadcast its story to the web.

The sneaker is concept apparel and part of the company's new arts project "Art, Copy, Code" which aims to make everyday objects more social and life-like.


To explore the world of connected objects, we've partnered with artist Zach Lieberman and YesYesNo to create a smart sneaker with personality that talks back and can connect the wearer’s activity to the web, if the wearer chooses to.

Using an accelerometer, a gyroscope, Bluetooth and some other off the shelf technologies, the Talking Shoe translates the wearer’s movements into funny, motivating and timely commentary. The things it says can be posted to Google+ by the user, sent to real-time ad units, if the user chooses to, and broadcast via onboard speakers. It can talk to the world and to the web.

Gregory Ferenstein of TechCrunch tried the shoes on and says, "At a distance, users seem a tad pathetic trying to trigger positive feedback from the shoe. But when I strapped it on, I felt oddly compelled to impress my new automated coach. Combining coaching (even robotic coaching) made lifeless data unexpectedly motivational. Essentially, it’s Richards Simmons in a shoe."

Check out the video below...