A deep interest in promoting people’s health, and the Internet of Things. By combining these two together, French company Zhor-Tech created the “Runner Profiler” insole marketed under the Digitsole brand.
A deep interest in promoting people’s health, and the Internet of Things. By combining these two together, French company Zhor-Tech created the “Runner Profiler” insole marketed under the Digitsole brand.
The concept is relatively simple: the insole, equipped with movement sensors, is inserted in a shoe and is connected by way of Bluetooth to the user’s smart device, from which the user can see various information related to his running session.
“The app shows how many steps you have taken, how many minutes you have run, so on and so forth. And your movement can be further analyzed by the app, which can advise on how your performance can be improved, for example how you can change your strides,” said Franck Lemke, Project Manager with Zhor-Tech. The company was an exhibitor of Computex 2017 held earlier in June.
He added that a passion to promote people’s health and well-being was what drove his company to develop the so-called “connected shoe.”
“The activity from which you can injure yourself the most is practicing sports, especially running, so we base our software on running,” he said. “We develop the hardware and software. We even work with bio-technicians, doctors and podiatrists, hearing their input as we build the algorithm. We believe that feet are the most important part of your body, and taking care of it property during exercise can reduce the risk of back, knee and ankle problems.”
Besides Runner Profiler, Digitsole also has the “Warm” series that warms up the user’s feet in cold weather. A heater embedded in the insole can turn on or off based on the user’s setting, which is also done through his mobile app. “You can select and adjust the temperature you want, from 30 to 50 degrees Celsius,” Lemke said.
According to him, Digitsole products already have a presence in Europe and the United States. By participating in Computex, the company plans to expand further into Asia, a market with huge potential, Lemke said.
“We’ve received a lot of inquiries from Japan and Korea as they can get pretty cold up there, and a heating insole can help the user keep warm. Also, running and fitness have become huge, especially in China,” he said.
The company has two business models. One is through retail channels such as Best Buy or other electronic stores. One is through B2B or partnership with shoe manufacturers. According to Lemke, the company is already in talks with Puma and other smart shoe manufacturers.
Product Adopted:Other