TL;DR
- The Samsung Shortcut Sneakers can trigger smartphone actions using sensors, with feet movement.
- Only six pairs will exist.
- The Shortcut Sneakers support six different movements, which can be linked to six different smartphone actions.
Have you ever wanted to start a call by doing a moonwalk? Well, apparently, some of you might be able to, if you’re really, really lucky. Never in my life did I think I would see smart shoes, let alone ones from Samsung. Enter the Samsung Shortcut Sneaker, a very interesting and wild project done in collaboration with Cheil Benelux, Elitac Wearables, Bruut Amsterdam, and sneaker designer Roel Van Hoff.
It’s “the sneaker of the future,” and it will do much more than offer a comfortable walk. Samsung installed motion sensors in the soles, allowing each shoe to track its motion and position in relation to the other. According to Samsung, there are five movements you can perform that will trigger five different shortcuts. The available triggers and specific shortcuts aren’t revealed, but Samsung did mention the moonwalk, and the fact that you can use these triggers to make calls or play music. In the promo video, we can also see Roel Van Hoff bumping the shoes twice to call his mother.
OK, so how do I sign up for a Samsung Shortcut Sneaker pair?
Don’t go getting your credit cards ready just yet. Trust me, I want a pair, too, but it won’t be that easy.
Sadly, this seems to be more of a novel concept than an actual product. There will only be six pairs in existence, and you can’t simply purchase them. To get a pair, you have to be a member of Samsung Members in the Netherlands. If you meet this requirement, you can sign up for the contest until July 9, 2024. Samsung will announce the winners on July 15, 2024.
The future of smart clothing and accessories
While most of us won’t ever be able to get these shoes, it’s interesting to see Samsung playing around with the concept. Merging technology with our actions isn’t exactly new. We recently saw Apple playing with gestures, allowing AirPods users to nod and shake their heads for yes or no actions. Not to mention the Apple Vision Pro, which uses physical hand gestures to control the UI. Of course, smartwatches and other accessories can also use gestures, touch controls, and voice commands to control your smartphone and other smart home devices.
More than drooling over these extremely rare sneakers, we are left wondering what the future could hold. Maybe similar features can be built into other shoes or accessories, such as bracelets, necklaces, rings, or jackets. Seeing the Samsung Shortcut Sneaker in action makes me believe the idea is not only possible but likely to become a reality soon.