These New Shoes Shine Bright

Image Credit: No new folk studio, Facebook

Make art with your feet thanks to Orphe, the new “smart-shoes system that uses motion sensors and LEDs to enable new forms of expression,” according to the project's now fully-backed IndieGoGo page. The shoes' creator, Tokyo-based design firm no new folk inc., explores how wearable tech can be incorporated into innovative forms of performance art.

The sole of each sneaker boasts around 100 Bluetooth-controlled LED lights that can be manipulated via a free iOS app or other computer program. The lights’ colors can either be pre-planned and uploaded into the shoes, or changed mid-use using the app. As Orphe’s website explains, the lights can also “be set to change along with the speed and orientation of a dancer’s movements.”

Each sole also holds a nine-axis sensor that registers the movements of the shoes, translating them into transmittable data, which can then be uploaded and shared online. (Moving forward, the developers encourage other engineers to create their own apps and find new uses for the Orphe platform.)

The shoes come in either black or white and were designed as part of a team effort between a shoemaker and a group of engineers. As of now, the shoes are only available with an IndieGoGo pledge of over $540 and come in a limited number of sizes.