Puma brings back classic 1986 smart shoes with advanced tech

If you thought smart shoes are a modern innovation, you might be wrong as the renowned company Puma introduced them decades ago and is now reissuing them with updated tech and features.

Back in 1986, design company Puma launched its RS-Computer (Running System) shoes that tracked the wearer’s running stats via an embedded custom-designed computer ship. Now, the firm has decided to bring the classic smart shoes back with similar colors and design, but integrated with modern fitness technology.

The 2018 RS-Computer shoe makes use of three-axis accelerometer in order to measure speed, calorie burn, distance and also step counts. Also, instead of plugging in data cable to sync up to 30 days of activity, the shoes can now be synced via Bluetooth to send the data to an Android or an iOS app.

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Moreover, that does not mean there is no cable insertion port. This time, there is a USB connection port for charging the smart shoe’s lithium-polymer battery. The smart shoes are also designed with 8-bit style graphics and feature an 8-bit game inside it.

In terms of design, the look is like the old retro ones with protruding heels having a computer on them, and colors that Puma has named as ‘Lunar Rock’, ‘Limestone’, and ‘Peacoat’.

“The 2018 iteration has new technology but replicates the original experience. No-one had ever created a shoe with a body-mounted sensor to capture and store data. In fact, it would take 20+ years before anyone else achieved that in a shoe,” said Puma, as quoted by CNET.

Unfortunately, Puma isn’t planning to mass-produce the shoe. It will only make 86 pair of the smart shoe that will be available globally on December 13 via its website and in selected Puma stores. Pricing, however, is not yet announced.