The Future of Wearable Tech: The Smart Stiletto?

By Michelle Hua @MadeWithGlove

I confess, my name is Michelle Hua and I am a shoe addict.  It is an addiction that has earned me the nickname Imelda, after Imelda Marcos the former Phillipines first lady well known for her shoe hoarding of nearly 1000 pairs of shoes. For the record, I only have 56 pairs of shoes.

This week’s blog is dedicated to all women who love shoes that boast a tech twist. Ducere Technologies Pvt, a wearable tech company from India was founded by 2 engineering MIT graduates, Krispian Lawrence and Anirudh Sharma. What came out of an academic project to assist the visually impaired to navigate their surroundings, it is now a fashion and lifestyle brand that specialises in disruptive innovations that aims to integrate seamlessly into our everyday lives.

They developed a smart shoe which works by assembling the shoe, downloading its app, pairing the shoe with your device and away you go. So what does it do? Well, it syncs with Google Maps using Bluetooth, it tracks your steps and counts your calories burned, it vibrates to let you know when to turn and it alerts you when your phone is not within a certain radius.

For the typical female who has a range of shoes such as the heel, the platform, the knee high or ankle boot or the wedged sneaker, Ducere Technologies have also developed an insole that slips into a shoe and works in a similar fashion.

While the insole cannot be used in a stiletto, Ducere Technologies is such an innovative company, I am hopeful that it can shrink its tech and allow us techinistas to wear our very own Smart Stiletto!

What I like about this company is that the core reason for their product was to develop technology to improve lives. Ducere Technologies has committed to applying its proceeds of sale from each shoe and subsidising a pair for someone who is visually challenged. Incorporating health with fashion and technology makes it a company that has a strong ethos by giving back to the community. Now that is definitely smart.

This blog was originally posted on Fashnerd written by Michelle Hua, Founder of MadeWithGlove, Co-founder of WoW UK Women of Wearables.  Follow Michelle on Twitter @MadeWithGlove.