Need to prove how high you made your friend jump with that last rubber snake prank? Look no further, Nike’s new Nike+ system offers an internal computer that measures – you guessed it – vertical leap, among other performance measurement details. I was at the Portland, Oregon Niketown over the weekend (just about 20 miles east of the Beaverton, OR, Nike World Headquarters) and saw firsthand just how accurate and effective this new system can be.
Nike+ system
The new Nike+ product line is beyond what anybody could ask for in terms of measuring their athletic performance. With the Nike Fuel (designed in-house) being the new measurement of athletic exertion, the days of clip-on pedometers are, sad to say, on their way out the door.
Loaded to the max with sensors all throughout the midsole, both the cross training and basketball shoes conect with your iPhone to give you real-time stats based on your performance. In particular, the shoe offers readings about “How Hard, How Fast, and How High” you move.
While I was watching the interactive demos at Niketown, I couldn’t help but recall the days in Phys Ed, having our vertical leap and running ability tested. I’m curious to see how this technology will trickle down to the kid’s shoes over time, and how it might make them more in touch with their fitness abilities? On a side note, I came across this A-MAZING video by 3D artist Juan Carlos Cuadra illustrating the functionality of the shoe:
Evolve: Nike Lunar Hyperdunk 2012 from caustix on Vimeo.
Now I can’t decide what to do now – stay inside and work on modeling shoes in modo or get outside and test my vertical leap? What do you think? Leave the tech out of the shoes, or bring it on!?
To see more about the new Nike+ System, including their new XBox Kinect product, head here. To check out more of Juan Carlos Cuadra’s awesome 3D work, head here
