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adidas x Infineon Lighting Shoe prototype puts on light show in sync with ambient music

The Infineon Lighting Shoe houses a sensing and processing board in its midsole (Image Source: Infineon)
The Infineon Lighting Shoe houses a sensing and processing board in its midsole (Image Source: Infineon)
German semiconductor and IoT systems giant Infineon, in collaboration with adidas, has made the Lighting Shoe prototype to showcase its sensor and power systems technology. The shoe, based on the adidas originals NMD S1, uses MEMS microphones and a microcontroller to ‘listen’ to music and create striking lighting effects in sync with the beats. Unfortunately, there are no plans to bring it into production.

Infineon and adidas, both leaders in their respective domains, have collaborated to create the perfect marriage of embedded technology and stylish sports footwear, in the form of a sensor-laden sneaker called the Lighting Shoe. The Lighting Shoe reacts to ambient music by flashing its colourful LEDs in sync with the beats, creating a spectacular light show.

The sneaker uses Infineon’s MEMS microphones – commonly found in smartphones, TWS earbuds, smart speakers and wearables – which balance accuracy with robustness, compactness and low power drain. An ARM Cortex-M4 based microcontroller processes the audio and uses Bluetooth LE for connectivity, while charging is handled by a USB-C PD input. Watch the system in action below.

The platform chosen for this prototype is the adidas originals NMD S1 sneaker, whose tall midsole provides adequate space to fit all the embedded components inside without compromising comfort. The NMD series, which became a raging success from 2015 onwards, was inspired by running shoes from the 80’s and, rather fittingly, aimed to combine classic design elements with modern sneaker technology.

Sadly this spectacular sneaker is unlikely to find its way to production, as it has been developed purely as a fun way to showcase the technology. As Infineon puts it, “Contextual Awareness through Intuitive Sensing makes it easier to use IoT gadgets – when the devices can hear, see or feel through technology. The Infineon Lighting Shoe is a unique example showing how technology and digitalization can be brought closer to people.”

For a more functional footwear-based sensor, you can buy the COROS Pod 2 for accurate indoor and treadmill distance measurement and real-time running data; pair it with the incredible bargain that is the new COROS Pace 3 running watch with dual-frequency GPS.

The Lighting Shoe reacts with LED lighting effects to ambient music (Image Source: Infineon)
The Lighting Shoe reacts with LED lighting effects to ambient music (Image Source: Infineon)
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2023 10 > adidas x Infineon Lighting Shoe prototype puts on light show in sync with ambient music
Vishal Bhardwaj, 2023-10-17 (Update: 2023-10-17)