As a girl with a serious shoe addiction, I’ve often wondered about the future of shoes. There’s been a little innovation when it comes to smart shoes, but overall, shoes haven’t gotten the attention they deserve in our tech-obsessed culture. That may be starting to change though.
The e-ink shoes I’d like to show you today aren’t a concept design or something to expect in the future. They are available now. This is the kind of wearable I can get excited about. I think any techie girl who loves shoes like me will agree that they’re fabulous.
Imagine this scenario. Instead of going to your closet and looking for a pair of shoes to match your outfit, you can just wear your favorite pair of heels over and over since the e-ink will change the color of the shoes whenever you’d like. Suddenly one pair of shoes goes with every outfit.
Even better yet, you can change the color of your shoes with an app on your iPhone or Android smartphone. What a brilliant idea!
According to their Indiegogo page, these shoes are called Volvorii Timeless. They are described as being “The world’s most elegant evolution in fashion tech.” The Volvorii team designed these e-ink shoes after being inspired by the work at MIT’s Smart Customization Research Group.
The base shoe comes in either black or white, and then the color customization is added on the sides and front. This e-ink process does require charging, but you should only have to charge them about once a month since it uses such a small amount of power. Your phone connects to the shoes via a Bluetooth LE receiver hidden in the soles of the shoes.
Aside from the high tech love incorporated into these shoes, my favorite part is the design itself. It’s a good-looking shoe, unlike many of the high tech shoe designs I’ve seen.
iShuu Technologies, the company behind the Volvorii Timeless shoes, is currently seeking $50,000 in funding on Indiegogo. With 19 days remaining, they are almost halfway there. I hope they reach the funding necessary to make these shoes a dream come true for us all.
Even Mr. Johnson Lee, President of E-Ink Corporation, has preordered a pair. The price level of $149 and $199 are sold out, but you can still get a pair for $249 at the time I’m writing this. I have a feeling this is only the beginning of the inevitable collaboration between beautiful shoes and inspiring technology.
YouTube: Volvorii Smart Shoe IGG (by iShüu Technologies)
Source: ChipChick
Photo credit: iShuu Technologies
