09 Jun Easyjet Releases New Smart Shoe; Promises “To Put Europe at Your Feet”
EasyJet, the British low-cost airline carrier based in London, is envisioning the future of travel with a new shoe it claims makes walking around Europe easier and less time-consuming.
Dubbed the “Sneakair”, the new smart shoe is a part of the airline carrier’s “Barcelona Street Project”, which aims to make Europe more easily traveled by foot. The idea behind the sneaker is that travelers spend too much of their time looking at directions on their phone, rather than enjoying their surroundings. The Easyjet Sneakair seeks to solve this problem by providing the wearer by turn-by-turn directions—without the need to look at your smartphone.
The shoe works by syncing to Google Maps Directions API via Blutooth, transmitting the directions you need into your shoes and allowing for hands-free travel. The shoe is built with a miniaturized Arduino clone inside, which vibrates in different areas of the sneaker to let the wearer know which direction to take. A vibration in each shoe signals to turn left or right, while three vibrations in the back of the shoe signal that you’ve reached your destination.