14 DAY TRIAL // People might think that jogging is a no brainer, but it can actually be hazardous to your legs' health if you just go about it without proper equipment, or on asphalt, so the Fraunhofer Institute decided to help humanity out.
Their method is pretty slick too, and somewhat uncanny, although not altogether unheard of: intelligent running shoes.
As you can see in the photo up there, the Fraunhofer Institute has invented a pair of sneakers that will let you know how to run properly.
Actually, they will do more than that. They will let you know when your feet could use a break and they'll even be able to offer suggestions for improving your athletic form, or for maximizing comfort while running.
For example, one day, the shoes might tell you how to improve your stride, even suggest how to roll off your foot differently.
Another day, they may recommend you change the surface you're running on. There's a reason that joggers should avoid asphalt or concrete after all. It's bad for your joints. Soft dirt, grass or running tracks at a gym are recommended.
So now we are only left with the million dollar question: how do these things work, exactly? Like any technological marvel, the answer is a combination of hardware and software.
For one thing, the shoes have a biometric sensor embedded into their sole, as well as an accelerometer and GPS tracker.
Together, those three elements collect data on the running speed, the jogging technique, etc. Said data is transmitted via Bluetooth to a smartphone app.
Said app, in turn, analyzes the information and makes the actual suggestions. You could say that the shoes themselves aren't the smart ones at all, or that they are but their brain is separate from the main body, so to speak.