Puma is relaunching its 1986 RS-Computer smart shoe for a limited time, which can track calories, distance, and time, thanks to the computer chip installed at its heel.
Smartwatch is not uncommon these days, but the same can't be said for smart shoes. Although it sounds revolutionary at first, the German shoe company already released in 1986 pairs of this kind, back in the days when wearable tech wasn't the bomb.
2018 Puma RS-Computer Modern Tech
That said, Puma is reviving its RS-Computer running shoe that is all the same with the old release, sans the modern technology incorporated for better tacking system. The new version has a three-axis accelerometer that measures the distance covered, step counts, as well as the calorie burned throughout the walk or run.
Puma decided to keep the original colors as well as the sticking-out heel, so those who used to own the 1986 version of the smart shoe may feel very nostalgic about the reincarnation of the retro pair. Moreover, the brand decided to stick with the 8-bit graphics.
What's more is that the 2018 pair also serves as a pedometer, a newly introduced function of the shoes, much like the Fitbit. The Puma RS smart shoe can store up to 30 days of data.
"The 2018 iteration has new technology but replicates the original experience," Puma said in its website.
Owners of the Puma smart running shoe used to extract data by a cable connected to a Commodore 64 or Apple IIe, but because everything is wireless now, data can be pulled out via Bluetooth and into an iOS or Android app. However, the 2018 release still needs cable, but this time, to charge the lithium-polymer battery.
Puma RS Release Date
Only 86 pairs of the Puma RS-Computer running shoe will be released in the market on Dec. 13 to signify the year it was first launched. To check the authenticity, note that these bulky shoes are numbered 1 to 86, which can be seen on the tongue. This will be available on their website, Kith, as well as physical stores in London, Berlin, and Tokyo.
Although Puma claims that the RS smart shoe is the "world's first computerized running shoe," it is worth noting that Adidas released the Micropacer in 1984, which also measured the calories burned, the distance, and the pace via a microsensor.
