In recent years, wearable technology has expanded its reach with disruptive innovations that have got more personal. It has changed the way we receive, use, and share data. There has been a shift in how technology is now seen as almost an extension of the self.
Today’s growing landscape of wearables comes with a wide array of interactive designs. The landscape has evolved from wrist calculators or the first Bluetooth headsets to now smart glasses, smart clothes that respond to body temperature, to smart jewelry that tracks your fitness and keeps abreast of your schedules.
A latest addition to the smart wearables is the Altra Torin IQ powered by iFit®, the world’s first smart shoe that comes with a running coach. The shoe has dual footbed sensors, the Altra Torin IQ, which gives runners accurate running intelligence along with live coaching feedback.
“For too long, the two main metrics to measure your run have been ‘how far?’ and ‘how fast?'” said Altra president and co-founder Brian Beckstead. “With Altra Torin IQ shoes, you get a much richer picture of your run with real-time coaching. We analyze the problems in real-time and provide you with proactive suggestions so you can correct and improve right away. Running has never been smarter.”
A latest addition to the smart wearables is the Altra Torin IQ powered by iFit®, the world’s first smart shoe that comes with a running coach.
The sensors are embedded into the midsole and produce powerful, accurate data. The data gets relayed to Altra’s IQ app It collects data in four key areas: landing zone, impact rate, contact time, and cadence. The app also tracks pace, distance, and time.
During the run, Altra Torin IQ serves as a stride coach.
“Many running injuries can be prevented by learning efficient, low-impact running form. However, it can be really hard to analyze running form on yourself,” said Altra founder Golden Harper. “This shoe is designed to help make runners more efficient and to extend the running career of road and trail warriors out there. Intelligence is power, and Altra Torin IQ can provide insights like nothing else.”
The landing zone feedback helps measure how hard or soft the runner lands on his heels or toes. There is visual feedback to show an athlete or a runner the posture, hand placement, cadence, etc to optimize his or her landing.
The app also identifies left-right imbalances in the stride, for a metric Altra calls “impact rate.” Coaching guidance from the app helps runners land more softly and achieve more balance, which may lead to a lower likelihood of injury.
Altra IQ contact time data shows runners how much time each foot is in contact with the ground and is reported as a number of milliseconds (ms), with a separate score for each foot. With this data, runners can improve left-right balance and optimize contact time.
Cadence is a key factor in form, foot strike, and efficiency. Altra Torin IQ’s live cadence tracking provides data to keep foot turnover at the optimal rate for the current running pace. The Altra iFit records the number of total steps per minute. Furthermore:
All metrics collected during a run are saved by the app and can be analyzed later
The iFit app for Altra IQ requires Android 5.0 and iPhone 4S and above, iPod touch 5th generation and above
The app can be downloaded for free from Google App Store.
