When you think of ‘smart shoes’ what do you think of? Brogues? A nice pair of wingtips perhaps, or maybe even a Chelsea boot? Those are all fine answers, sure, but none of them are anywhere near as smart as the Lechal.
Made by Indian tech firm Ducere Technologies, the Lechal is a smart wearable for your feet. Connected shoes aren’t strictly a new creation, as we’ve seen with Adidas’ MiCoach and Nike’s Nike+, but even they couldn’t do what the Lechal does.
A pair of Lechals can connect to your smartphone to give you directions – by vibrating. When linked to your device, if you open up Google Maps and input some directions, the shoes will offer you haptic feedback when you need to turn. This means that if you’re walking around an area you’re unfamiliar with, or out on a run, you don’t need to keep pulling your phone out to check.
Doesn’t sound so silly now, eh? It also offers up what is the most accurate pedometer you could wish for, along with measurement of distance travelled and calorie burn.
What’s more, they’re set to cost just $100. Not a bad price considering this isn’t just a chip or insole but an entire pair of shoes. You can also choose between a standard black colourway, or a rather more garish, running-trainer style red.
The Lechal is compatible with iOS, Android and Windows Phone, and if you like the sound of it you can place a preorder from the Ducere website right now.
