These Shoes Were Made for…Giving Directions?

Technology moves in interesting ways: my washing machine tells me when the door is ajar, the refrigerator can report when I’m out of milk, and now my shoes can tell me which way to go. Pretty cool, right?

These shoes, called Lechal (“take me there” in Hindi), connect wirelessly to your GPS system and use vibration to direct the user in which direction they should go next. So if you need to go right, your right foot will vibrate, and if you’re supposed to go left…well, you get the picture.

Here’s how it works: the wearer puts their destination into their navigation device, and the module in the back of the shoe receives the information via Bluetooth. And for those who want to use their own shoes, there’s also an insole that can slip into your own pair that does the same thing.

This could be useful in the world of the blind, where a white cane can detect obstacles but doesn’t actually tell the user WHERE to head. Plus, people who are blind spend a lot of time using their sense of hearing to detect where they are, and since this technology isn’t auditory, it won’t interfere with that.

As an added bonus, the shoes also track number of steps taken and calories burned. They come in red and black, and will retail for $150 ($100 if you’re ordering the insoles). They come with the app, compatible with Android, iOS and Windows, and a charger. For the full story, head here, and to preorder the product go to the Lechal website.