Wouldn’t it be amazing if your sneakers could became reflective when you run at night, glow if you were cycling, or change colors to match the outfit you are wearing? Rehabstudio, a creative technology company out of the UK, has shown off a concept for future sneakers that visually adapt to your needs. The Shift sneaker is fairly clever; by combining several different textile technologies (both conductive and reactive) into one fabric, the material would be able to change colors, impart new properties, or light up. The upper of the shoes is constructed of a material with conductive woven threads. Imbedded among these threads will be touch sensitive fibers and malleable micro LED displays. According to the company, Phase Change fibers and Shape Memory material will be employed to enable interchangeability between designs and allow those designs to be locked onto the sneaker. Finally Meta materials will manipulate the fabric tissue to alter how light bends off of the shoe and adopt to variables such as temperature or surfaces.
While this all sounds complicated, the end result would be a sneaker with millions of different looks than would be controlled with a few taps on your phone! Rehabstudio envisions that the Bluetooth connected sneakers would have a large degree of customization available out of the box, with more being able to be added through in-app-purchases. For example, they envision a “Running Pack” that would allow you to set your target pace and the shoes will glow green, red, or blue depending on your speed versus that pace. Another concept is the “Selfie Pack” that using a photo would instantly alter the shoes to match your outfit. While just a co ncept, Shift could be a glimpse of where footwear is headed. Not only is the ability to continuously customize your footwear an exciting concept, it also would mean that one shoe would would serve the purpose of several (sustainable fashion), which is good for the wallet and even better for the environment!
