We’re hoping that whomever came up with the idea of integrating LEDs into children’s shoes is kicking back on a beach somewhere living off the residuals of the idea. We see those things everywhere. Now the real question is, if you grew up with LEDs in your shoes do you expect cooler light up kicks as you age? [Becky Stern] must think so and that’s why she’s showing off Adafruit’s addressable LED strip shoe project called Firewalker.
This is prototype rather than product, so you can see the Arduino compatible Flora board on the ankle of the lit shoe above. There’s also a battery pack hitching a ride on the laces. But those worried about that fashion faux pas can work on a more finished driver that straps to your calf, or can be integrated in the insole.
Lighting patterns are set off by Velostat, a pressure-sensitive conductive sheet that goes in the heel of the insole. The Flora board measures the resistance, triggering a light show (embedded below) when it drops. Now we just need someone to integrate a power generator based on your movement.
Now if only these would work with my VFF’s :3
Perhaps this will bring back disco fever?
I imagine you can install quite a lightshow on a pair of platform-shoes :-)
Some of us grew up with mercury lights in our shoes…
Cool, but I’m pretty sure those LED strips can do full color, time for some more interesting software.
Also, the pressure sensor is binarized. It would be cooler to have them react more with stronger tapping.
I think my friends 6yr old has these shoes! You can get them at Payless for $20. Next you could put skates in the bottom that flip out so you can glide around when needed. OH! and then you could put a pump in the tongue so in case your shoes are loose you can pump them up to tighten them.
Don’t forget the shoe “aquarium” from “I’m Gonna Git You, Sucka!” (http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=shoe%20aquarium%20%22I%27m%20gonna%20git%20you%20sucka%22&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=ZGDVN5M7okmBJM&tbnid=i5dr9HBXHhiPLM:&ved=0CAIQjBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm8.staticflickr.com%2F7164%2F6734546863_48f79317dd_z.jpg&ei=f6gfUsnBKeOayAHM_ICACw&bvm=bv.51495398,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNFPj5Toq9AxSpJVITRVoVJ2tnUeNg&ust=1377892857476163),
or Al Bundy’s famous “shoe lights” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHEP8zwk-48).
Oh my. Thanks for reminding me of that movie. :)
My bitch better have my money
Through rain, sleet, or snow
My whore better have my money
Not half, not some, but all my cash
‘Cause if she don’t,
I’m gonna put my foot in her ass.
“We see those things everywhere.”
Really?! ive never seen them since the 90ies
Now just add a microphone and beat detection!
…time to find some sneakers to cannibalize.
Triple AA on the top of you foot? Doesn’t sound like a pleasure.
Maybe some inductive couplings could be used, with the batteries being stored in pant pockets?
http://www.adafruit.com/products/1459
I wonder if the footstep could be harvested for some energy?
Well if these catch on I can see them really reducing crime, hard to run from the cops in led sneakers.
The waistband around the bottom of their ass really helps with this already. Still don’t understand this one….
If you ban non-lit shoes, only criminals will have non-lit shoes. :)
Heh…. So when you get home in the evening you have to plug in not only your laptop, cellphone and Pebble wristwatch for changing, but your shoes as well. :)
Looks cool though.
I made a very similar, but more complex set of shoes. Uses an axceleromerter to detect a step and makes use of it for other things. sadly, they were destroyed by the playa last week at burning man.
They used 3 18650’s for power and an arduino nano for control.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYcUGOQWZC8&noredirect=1
probably the last working video of them. Did anyone see me at burning man?
So dope! Do you have an instructable or did you just modify the adafruit version?
I hate how they don’t make cool things in adult sizes.
If you don’t want to give the trouble of DYI, buy a LED Shoes ready to dance and conquer the night at https://ledshoes.wordpress.com/