When sports merge high-tech Adi, Nike running shoes can also "talk"

In a cold and foggy afternoon, Ulrike Krotscheck “talked” with her running shoes for the first time.

Krotscheck, a student at Stanford University, is running in Golden Gate Park. After 40 minutes of running, she wants to know how far she has run.

Krotscheck pressed a button on the iPod Nano and the iPod Nano immediately sent a wireless signal to a battery-powered sensor in her left sole. The sensor responded immediately and sent back the voice message via the iPod: 5.2 miles.

Krotscheck can hardly believe his ears. She said that I'm used to calculating the distance in my heart. It's amazing how my shoes can do this.

Shoes like this may be the future of exercise. In the highly competitive sneaker manufacturing industry, Nike and Adidas both bet on sensors and other technologies to increase profits and continuously update the concept of high-performance sports shoes.

In the past 12 months, both companies have introduced products that can communicate wirelessly with other technologies and provide information about running. Nike's sneakers, called Nike Plus, provide distance and speed data.

Adidas's product called adiStar Fusion offers the same information and information about heart rate, which is also the second high-tech sneaker launched by Adidas.

Last year, Adidas introduced a sports shoe called Adidas 1, which uses sensors to analyze terrain and gait, and then uses a motor-driven system to adjust the height of the elastic pad. When the user runs in the mud, the heel will become high; when running on the asphalt, the heel will expand.

Michael JupiterResearch's vice president, Michael, said that although these shoes are more popular among high-tech enthusiasts than runners, they may be favored by all users during the Christmas sales season. This is not a high-tech product for the use of high technology. It enhances people's running experience. I think it will be praised by users.

Each high-tech sports shoe works differently. Nike Plus is a collaboration between Nike and Apple that needs to be used in conjunction with the iPod Nano. It was launched in May this year and uses the Nike Plus iPod Sport Kit.

The user needs a receiving device at the bottom of the iPod. After the sensor is calibrated, the iPod can communicate with the sensor in the shoe through the receiving device.

As the user runs, the sensor collects information about distance and speed. When the user needs this information, the chip will send them to the iPod, interrupt the music being played, and report the data to the user by voice.

The iPod stores this information. When the user connects the iPod to the computer, Apple's iTunes software automatically uploads the data to the Nikeplus.com website. According to Edwards, Nike’s vice president of global brand management, this feature allows users to graph their running data.

He said that at present, most people carry iPods while running, so this seems to be the perfect way to realize the potential of technology. The system also helps to strengthen the relationship between Nike and the user. With everything from collecting data to uploading to the web, it allows us to connect with users more than ever before.

AdiStar Fusion can achieve similar goals. The product launched last October was the result of a collaboration between Adidas and Polar Electro. Like Nike Plus, Adidas's products also require the user to place a microchip in the shoe. The chip, called the S3 Stride Sensor, can transfer speed, distance, and other data to a product called the Polar RS800sd Running Computer.

Another product is the Heart Monitor called Polar WearLink WIND, which monitors pulse conditions. Users can purchase a special adiStar Fusion shirt to collect pulse data using microelectrodes placed in clothes.

The RS800sd computer collects all data and displays it on the watch in a way that is easy for the user to read. Christine, the project director of Adidas responsible for smart products, said that although this information is not transmitted by voice, information about the pulse can be used to help users in other ways. He said that these data can be mastered while running, helping users better understand the state of the body and achieve the best exercise results.

Two kinds of products are not cheap. The Nike Plus product costs about $300: Air Moire or Air Zoom sneakers cost $100, the Nike Plus iPod Sport Kit costs $29, and the iPod Nano sells for $149.

Adidas's products sell for about $700: adiStar Fusion sports shoes cost $120, adiStar Fusion shirts cost $65, and Polar sensors, heart monitors, and running computers sell for $489.

Both products currently have certain deficiencies, and both companies have seen room for improvement. Edwards said that Nike expects to produce more Nike Plus-compatible shoes in the coming months.

Christine said that Adidas plans to make half of its products compatible with Polar technology by 2010. He said that we regard this technology as our future.