If you’re surprised to hear Samsung now has its own fashion range, it doesn’t; and it’s unlikely the IOFIT smart shoes will ever be released with the Samsung brand name on them. IOFIT is another startup that has sprung from Samsung’s C-Lab, where the company encourages staff to develop and work on new tech projects. The IOFIT shoes have been such a success, the team has left the confines of C-Lab to go it alone as Salted Venture.
Related: Hands-on with three of Samsung’s cool C-Lab projects
At first, the IOFIT shoes were developed for the golfer, to whom the ability to correctly shift weight between left and right feet is crucial, and the pressure sensors inside the IOFIT smart shoes made it easy to visualize and then improve balance. Normally, this is measured by complex machinery at pro-golf centers. The shoes put the same technology into everyone’s hands. Or feet.
The same data can be applied to other sports and exercise regimes, including cross training and weight lifting, where balance and posture has a major affect on muscle growth and injury prevention; therefore the accompanying IOFIT app works just as well off the golf course as it does on. There are even coaching modes, a video mode to better examine posture, and a way to share the data with a personal trainer.
If the IOFIT shoe isn’t going to have Samsung’s name attached, what will it say on the side? Salted Ventures wants to find a partner and will be showcasing the shoes at Mobile World Congress at the end of February, with a view to collaborating with a sports or fitness brand. It shouldn’t be difficult, provided the technology is sound, as brands from Adidas and Asics, to Under Armor and New Balance are all clamoring for some of the growing fitness wearable action.
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