Sports Fitness (979)

Apple patent smart shoes

Built-in GPS and other tech

12 September 2008 0:46 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Apple has its eyes on more than just your ears if the latest patents unearthed are to be believed.

A new filing from Apple to the US patent office suggests that future Nike+ systems could include technology built into trainers.

The range of technologies include sensors that would let you know when to replace the shoes and GPS so you can track your running route on the run and afterwards.

According to Apple's filings:

"In this way, a user could gauge his or her own athletic prowess and abilities against an accepted reference and be able to determine, for example, the performance percentile he or she falls in relation to his or her particular cohort of runners", Apple said. "In addition, it would be beneficial to be able to correlate a user's performance to particular garments (running time vs. a particular shoe or shoe design) as well as tracking shoe characteristics (such as wear) over time or distance used."

On the GPS, Apple says:

"For example, in a GPS based system, prior to a workout, the user can download a list of preferred establishments (restrooms, restaurants, etc.) to the DEM database specific for the area in which the user plans to exercise (local parks, bike routes, jogging trails, etc)", Apple explains.

"When the user approaches one of the points of interest (restaurant, for example) while exercising, a sensor can issue notification that the user is within a pre-determined distance of the nearby point of interest thereby providing the user the option to stop or continue the planned excursion unabated. Moreover, the nearby point of interest (i.e., restaurant) can also push information to the user by, for example, displaying advertisements in addition to the notification that the user is within the pre-determined distance."