Activity tracking devices are quite common these days, with most of them being worn on your wrist, or at least clipping to your clothing. The problem with all of these is that you have to remember to put them on every day. But what if there was an activity tracking device that you didn’t even have to think about for it to do its job. Well, good news folks! There is! It’s called the Footlogger, and instead of being worn or clipped, it sits comfortably inside of your shoe.
The Footlogger is another device that is set to make its appearance at CES in a few days. It’s being made by a company called 3L Labs, who claim that the Footlogger is more than a simple fitness tracking device.
The device itself has a built in accelerometer as well as 8 pressure sensors. To use the device, you must first insert a pair of them into the shoes you use to run or work out with. Fortunately they’re quite light and not too obtrusive. After that you simply go about your normal workout routine. Each insole can log up to 50,000 footprints on its in built memory. Not only that but they can run for 24 hours on a single charge, so as long as you charge them when you’re not working out you shouldn’t have a problem with running out of juice mid-workout.
Once your workout is over, you take the insoles out and simply place them on the ShoeStation that comes with the insoles. The ShoeStation detects the insoles, and wirelessly charges them. While charging, the data that the shoes have logged is automatically transmitted to the ShoeStation via Bluetooth. The device then sends the data to 3L Lab’s online server, where the data is analyzed and then sent back to you via SMS or on your smartphone app.
As expected, the insoles can detect how many steps you take and how many calories you burn. On top of that though, the insoles can detect exactly how your weight is distributed with each step, giving the insoles a number of possible applications. They could help a professional runner fine-tune their technique, for example. The insoles could also be used in medicine for rehabilitation monitoring and even to predict diseases before they happen. Last of all, they could certainly be used as some kind of gaming device.
The FootLogger is supposed to be available sometime later this year, and prices will start at around $100.
